Fairytale
by Jazz7
Summary: Dragged into something she never expected, nor wanted, Kikyou didn't expect things to get worse until a ancient jewel was ripped out of her and she has to trust a stranger named Riku. And it seems the jewel devours souls. An ancient fairytale begins again
1. A prom, A boy, and a New World

I'm rewriting just chapters one through three, not the whole story. Through I have received a review to rewrite the story a long time ago. Needless to say, I found it insulting. No matter how much you don't like a story, or if you hated just one element in it, you should never ask the author of the story to rewrite it. That's something only the author can decide to do. I'm rewriting chapters one through three because I want to fix some mistakes and make it better. The chapters original plot will not be changed. If you're reading this, I suggest you read all the chapters available before passing final judgment. Through you can review as you go. I would appreciate that. Just, no flames please? They're bad and they don't really do anything incept prove that mankind can be real jackasses. Constructive criticism is welcome, because we all need some help and I don't have a PS2. My brother does and I'm afraid he's using it. -- I guess before Kingdom Hearts two heads out I should buy my own. Through I do own Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, but that plot will not be included in this story. Basically it's like this: Forget everything that happened in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Don't think about the characters in KH2 either since they won't be included either. This takes place after KH1 and is like...a sequel of sorts to that. My version of KH2, my fan fiction version. This is an Inuyasha/KH crossover. Kikyou is a main character along with Riku. And since this is sort of Action/Adventure, Romance, Drama, Angst, along with some humor; you should know what to expect of these two. Kikyou is human in this, the Inuyasha story line isn't really included. This takes place in the modern era, Kagome and Kikyou are related. (Even though I really hate Kagome...sigh) And the main villain is...Well I can't give that away. Just read, you might surprise your self with how much you will enjoy this. And if you don't enjoy this story? Well it's not like I can give your money and time back. I'm not Sailor Pluto here. Nor am I Donald Trump. :( 

Disclaimer: Nope I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Inuyasha. Why don't you go ask those two millionaires over there. Any lyrics used in this story are from and all the nice people that submit lyrics for that site or my own creation. The poems/song from chapter 8 and on wards along with the one at the start of this chapter belong to me. (note: new chapters of KHST (or Fairytale) will not have lyrics in the beginning of chapters (except for chapter 14) and starting with chapter 12 this story will be renamed "Fairytale". And the lyrics used in this 1st chapter are my own invention. I left the original title for people who have read this before to know that this is the same story, only some minor differences.)

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time: A Prom, a Boy, and a New World.

_We suddenly cast off our old wounds like a shed skin._

_Leaving behind something precious to follow our own desires._

_That which you call evil, I disagree with._

_That which you call good, I say isn't._

_In this way we can't completely agree._

_This flower of longing, I want to finally overcome it's smell. _

_The land seems so distant and vast. __Can we really over come anything?_

_I won't get trapped in past regrets.__I couldn't save them so I blamed myself._

_Proclaiming that we're somewhere in between this night and day._

_The past becomes murky in your profile._

_Beyond this heart, beyond this sadness, there's somewhere I want to see._

_Stretching out a hand toward that light and leaving a foot in that darkness._

_"We're only in it for ourselves."__Selfish emotions that I still believe in._

_We cast off tomorrow in favor of the light of yesterday. __Then we do just the opposite. _

_In this way, we're growing._

_The old wounds don't hurt so much when you touch them._

_The shining light you hold in side you is all but neither, I'll believe in that and cast off the rest._

_(Cast) _

* * *

The sun was setting, it's brilliant rays falling against a house and shrine surrounded by the green trees of summer. The shrine was surprisingly quite. Even though it was in the middle of a busy city, this place seemed almost separate from the world. Inside the house, in the second room on the third floor was the oldest daughter of a family of priestesses. The inhabitants of the shrine was a middle age woman and her two young daughters. Both were in high school and both were as different as night and day. The family, though on the outside seemed quite peaceful, on the inside were just the opposite. The girl in front of the mirror spins once, then twice, in front of the mirror. Frowning from what she sees. A awkward plain girl with a broken smile. "Well, what do you think Buyo." asks the oldest daughter and future successor of the shrine. She was a ghost of a girl with long raven hair, dark brown eyes, pale skin. The cat the girl had questioned turns his head to one side and meowed, all the while giving his master a confused look. Cats didn't really know much about clothes or why humans needed them.  
"Come on Buyo don't give me that look. I don't want to go to this stupid prom anyway especially with Hojo." says the girl while looking into the large mirror in front of her. The dress she wears is light blue with no sleeves and stops at her knees. On her legs are white stockings and on her feet are black dress shoes. The girl frowns, through usually uncaring about her sisters life, this time she would have much rather stayed out of it. She had planned to just watch tv or finish a book report. School wasn't over yet and she owed this Hojo nothing. But what could she do? She was powerless against her younger sister. It was almost to the point of spoiling her. Both her and her mother allowed her to get away with whatever she wanted. The weakness of her mother, and the built up sorrow and rage of her own self made the girl's hands into fists at her sides. Once again in this world she was powerless, just another pebble in the river of time.  
"Kikyou are you ready yet?" Her younger sister Kagome's voice calls through the open window. Her impatience was noticeable and at once Kikyou felt guilty with out knowing why. Then that feeling quickly vanished just like everything else. She ran downstairs without looking back. Outside her sister Kagome is waiting with her boyfriend Inuyasha, who for once combed his black hair but he still wore his old faded jeans, even if it didn't match with the dress shirt he was wearing.The youngest woman of the household had all ready gotten dressed and glamored up and was now awaiting her older sister. She had dragged her into going with her because she felt bad for the guy that always gave her gifts. 

Kikyou ran out of the front door and approached the two of them.  
"You're wearing that?" asked Kagome at the site of the old dress her sister is wearing. It reminded her of one of those old black and white movies mom made them watch sometimes. And that material...Was that cotton? She could have wore something less...cheap.  
"Yes." replied Kikyou. she turns and sees Hojo, her sisters old suitor who is only going with her because she looks like her sister; a sister who dumped Hojo after he gave her about twenty thousand gifts. Kagome told him to go with her sister and he jumped at the chance to fantasize about actually going with Kagome. She turned and looked at her sister Kagome and saw that she was wearing a short, silk, pink dress that stopped at her upper thigh and left nothing to the imagination. They were nothing alike, not in appearance and certainly not in personality. This was the only thing her and her sister could agree upon. Yet everyone thought they were twins, even though Kikyou was born two years earlier than her sister and had straight, thin hair. Kagome's bouncy, thick curls were enviable, just like her popularity and love life. Kikyou sighed and turned towards her mother's van. She could see her in the front seat through the tinted windows. In the reflection of the windows her favorite white ribbon was missing from her hair, leaving her locks hanging limply down her back.  
"Can you guys wait here for a second, I forgot something."  
"Kikyou we have to go! The prom is going to start in 30 minutes and it'll take us 15 to get there." replied Kagome irritably. To Kagome she saw this as her sister once again making life difficult for her. This was just like Kikyou to suddenly say that she forgot something, run off, and never come back. Then back at home she would say that her homework was due or some other pitiful excuse. Who cares about homework! Wasn't school just another popularity contest?  
"I'll be right back."said Kikyou, ignoring her sister rolling her eyes at her while running toward the house. Kikyou ran through the front door, leaving the door open in her rush to get upstairs. She found her ribbon on her desk next to an old book of fairy tails that she had had since she was a little girl. She couldn't seem to throw them away, nor could she keep reading them now that she was almost a woman. Quickly she did her hair into a ponytail leaving two loops of hair to rest on her shoulders. Kikyou turned to go and saw Buyo slipping past the door to go down stairs. "I'll just go out the door with you then." muttered Kikyou to her cat. Buyo stuck its tail up in the air but didn't answer. This was unusual for Buyo, he usually always answered Kikyou or Kagome. Either with an indifferent meow or a wail of hunger. But this time he seemed different, changed. But Kikyou didn't have time to notice. She was too much in a rush. Even if she didn't want to go, she knew she couldn't get out of going this time.  
Kikyou followed Buyo in to the living room. "I forgot to close the door." said Kikyou out loud to her self when she saw the open door. Buyo slipped outside and out of sight. Kikyou chased after him. The cat seemed to run faster than her this time, which seemed to be impossible since Buyo was fat and had never really ran away from anyone. Not even Inuyasha who always seemed to torture the poor cat.  
The temple grounds were huge and ominous if one did not know the way. The shrine was over a 100 years old, and prone to rotted wood, disaster, and sinister shadows. There could be s numerous amount of hiding places that the cat could have gotten into. But Kikyou didn't have much time and her mother would kill her if she left the cat outside. She finally spotted the cat walking in to the building that housed the Bone Eaters Well. The one place that was restricted from the whole family and the one place she could get grounded until she was fifty for going into. But she had no choice, either way she was going to get into trouble and it was not like her mother was watching.  
"Buyo, Buyo come out, come out wherever you are." Kikyou called while she looked around. Dust and cobwebs were everywhere, the placed seemed to not have been opened up in centuries. Barely any light slipped through and illuminated the walls from the cracks in the small shack. In the middle of the room was a large wooden well. It was boarded up with heavy oak boards and it would have to taken 10 strong people from the looks of it just to lift it. Kikyou stepped further in to the room and continued to look at the well. This seemed so familiar to her, like something that she had watched or experienced a long time ago. The well also seemed to be emitting some kind of- Just then something moved behind her. Kikyou quickly turned around after hearing the door creak and was just in time to see Buyo exit the room. She stepped forward to leave and catch Byou when the door slammed shut, leaving her in total darkness. Kikyou continued, anyway hoping it would open,but didn't get the chance as she heard the sound of breaking wood. The sound brought to her imagination something with long nails and teeth. A slithering sound soon followed. A snake? But it was impossible right? Snakes didn't get big enough to break through wood... Her thoughts were interrupted. Someones sharp nails, that in the weak light were long, red and dangerously sharp, touched her shoulders and snake like black hair moved around her. With the breath of the unseen foe tickling her neck, Kikyou was pulled into the well.

* * *

"The body is of a young white male, name: Ichabod Crane. Time of death: 12:00 am last night. Cause of death: decapitation." read a tanned young woman with beautiful Native-American features. She closed her notebook and looked down at the headless body.  
"Well isn't that just dandy this guy makes 13. And of course not one person heard or saw anything. But then again who in their right mind would live out in these woods." said a young Asian man with his black hair in a bun.  
"Stop being a jackass Li and help me examine the body." The woman said to the man that had previously spoken while flipping her long black hair back over her shoulder and glaring.  
"I'm not being a jackass princess Pocahontas."said Li.  
A young man with platinum blond hair and wearing a black trench coat that was long enough to drop to the top of his shoes bended down and used a stick lifted up the ripped skin around what was left of Ichabod Crane's neck and looked inside. A large black beetle came out and scurried away. The dirt ground was red with the man's blood and the strong sent of death filled the air. The wound showed where Ichabod's spinal cord connected to his head and the muscles underneath the skin. It had been a clean slice, the blade must have been quite sharp. Poor guy must have not felt too much pain or knew what happened to him till the last moment.  
A siren filled the air and flashing lights illuminated the dark evergreen forest of trees. The ambulance stopped a few yards away from the body and two men in white paramedic suits jumped out with a black body bag.  
"Our work here is done, lets head back."said the platinum blond man. He had youthful features which were marred by the shadows and his own heart. He had turned away from the site of the paramedics zipping up what was left of Ichabod.  
"You sure Riku? We could still get some more clues."asked Pocahontas. She usually went with whatever Riku said just so she could go home and not have to fight with him, but this time Pocahontas thought she should say something to him.  
He turned to look at her and his green eyes flashed with anger. "And what clues is there to find? It's the same damn clues, hoof prints, a body every thing's the same!"  
"Okay were all tired but you don't need to take it out on us, we'll go all ready, Great Grand king Riku of the Poohbas." said Li.  
Riku gave him a death glare and started to walk toward the path that lead away from the clearing they were in and back toward their gummi ship.  
"Who spit in his bean curd?" mocked Li, irritated that Riku didn't know how to take a joke.  
"You know Riku he's always that way rude, mean, and bossy." replied Pocahontas to Li's joke.  
Riku stopped and said over his shoulder: "I heard that, do you care to say it to my face?"  
"No." Li and Pocahontas said at once.  
"Then shut up and start heading toward the ship already." said Riku.  
Pocahontas rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject so Li wouldn't shout back at Riku and ruin the already ruined evening. "So have you decided yet?"  
"Decided what?"asked Li.  
"Who's your true love Mulan or that cute boyfriend of yours. Neither of them has found out about the other have they?" Pocahontas asked. She liked to talk with Li when it came to his love life since his was so similar to hers. Incept she had two men in her life. Plus they couldn't talk about the case here, Pocahontas had the feeling that the people from the nearby town would soon come to see the festivities.  
"I haven't decided yet and no they haven't found out."replied Lin,"And what about you who do you want John Smith or John Rolfe, you can't have both of them. Their going to find out sooner or later."  
"Well your one to talk." said Pocahontas after a pause in her speech. Love seemed to be a puzzle that her soul couldn't untangle. Talking about love had been the wrong thing to bring up with Riku so close by. Lin and her walked a head toward their gummi ship Astrid and continued to chat about their love life.  
Riku stopped walking, sensing some one behind him He turned and gazed into the darkness. Like so many times before it stared back just as furiously. He looked into the dark woods behind him, but could see no one there. Since it was night you couldn't see much incept for the flashing lights from the crime scene and what the moon illuminated. Finally he saw a dark form of a person that looked familiar, but as soon as he saw the figure it disappeared. Riku stood and looked until Lin shouted for him to hurry up and get inside or they was going to leave without him.  
He walked inside and scanned the inside of the ship for a seat. The ship was painted and furnished completely in red, contrasting with the ships black exterior. After choosing one near a window he sat down and looked at the quickly disappearing dark woods of Sleepy Hollow , all the while wondering who the person he saw was. And why didn't they say anything. And why... Did that person look so familiar?

* * *

"Where am I?' Thought to herself Kikyou. She had closed her eyes once something had grabbed her so she couldn't see, but she could feel that...she was floating? That wasn't right at all. She scanned her memories for the answer. 'I remember chasing after Buyo and being dragged into the well... Oh no that weird woman--no that demon--I have to get out of its grip!!' 

Kikyou tried screaming but the thing that had grabbed her had its hand was over her mouth. Then she tried wiggling out from its grip, but it held on tighter. Then Kikyou finally bit the monsters hand in order to be free. The thing screamed and dropped her. Kikyou opened her eyes as she felt herself fall. She fell a few feet away from what she could now make out as some kind of insect demon. A demon that looked like a woman but had many arms and the body of a centipede. Kikyou also noticed that she had stopped falling and was now floating. Amazed at all this, Kikyou looked around once more. All she could see was violet and white light. Too busy looking at her new surroundings, Kikyou didn't notice the centipede demon reach her until it was too late. The demon grabbed her again and scratched her across the face with its long nails. The scratch left three bleeding nail marks.  
The centipede hissed at her and screamed, "If Ansem didn't need you alive I would kill you you little bitch."  
'Ansem who the hell is he and why does he need me alive? Maybe this is just a dream, if so I'm never going to eat ice cream and watch scary movies before bed again. But when she scratched me that hurt, and when I bit her it felt real.' thought Kikyou. Things just didn't make sense! This was something out of a horror or sci-fi movie. One moment she was chasing her cat and the next she was being kidnapped by a demon. But it was real. At least it felt real.  
Suddenly both her and the demon stopped floating and fell again. They landed in the inside of a well this time and Kikyou was tossed into the air and landed roughly on her side a few yards away from the well.  
Hurt, but nothing broken, Kikyou got up and looked at the centipede demon who was raising out of the well. The demon floated above her and growled with an evil, fanged grin: "But he never said I couldn't rough you up a little."

* * *

"Let me guess no new leads." said a short little man with white hair and wearing a black suit . He sat behind a oak desk in a nice, neat, organized gray office. On top of the desk was a neat stack of white papers, a cup of sharpened pencils, and a clear glass paper weight. 

"You're correct Frollo."said Riku. As always, when ever there was a new case or a new development on one Frollo wanted to know about it. But why did it have to be him? Couldn't he just get one of his partners to do it? Speaking of that, why did he have two partners anyway? Maybe they were there to keep him in line.

"Riku,"said Frollo his anger rising with each word,"That's Chief of Command to you." Frollo always wanted people to be aware of his status. He probably even yelled at anyone who didn't call him Chief of Command. Much less anyone that called him a Reaper, even in his training days when he was only a step or so away from his position now.

Reapers was a fancy word for law. The only law around here. It suited their style of work. Protect the people with the death of who ever decided to be Mr. Murder or Ms. Murder of the day, but nothing outside of serious cases like. Let the people deal with the heartless themselves, unless it couldn't be taken down with normal means. In that case Reapers were sent in to clean up the mess. They handled the bigger, nastier heartless that suddenly appeared. With their all black military uniforms and no nonsense attitude and manner it was easy to see why that name was not only feared, but respected. Only two out of twenty trainees ever made it to become a Reaper and only one out of thirty ever became an Elite. A status that Riku had earned at the age of 24, the youngest to have ever became an Elite and the youngest to become a Reaper and graduate with honors. But looking at him now, no one would see those medals of honor. Riku dressed outside of uniform, and no amount of reprimanding in the beginning had changed his mind. The case of his uniform was the only argument that Frollo caved in on, everything else seemed to be a day to day battle between Riku and the anile man in front of him. Neither respected or appreciated the other. From the day they had met, it was instant hatred.

Riku turned around and headed toward the door that lead out of Frollo's office, he didn't need to take this shit today. Let Frollo deal with everything, and while the old bastard was at it, he should have himself say all this crap to his reflection. His comfy little desk job couldn't see into the streets, it was a lot harder to build a case than shuffling papers. Riku reached to door, opened it, and was about to leave Frollo to himself when his angry voice stopped him.

"Wait until I dismiss you Riku, you know the rules you've been working here for 10 years so wait until I dismiss you." said Frollo.

"Well," replied Riku. ",are you going to dismiss me or not? I have work to do."

Frollo looked like he was going to explode but some how he managed to say you're dismissed with out blowing his head off.

Riku left his office and after saying bye to his partners Pocahontas and Li he left. "Take care Riku."said Pocahontas after him as he stepped outside. It was raining, hard. The sky dark with storm clouds and full of thunder and lightning. People walked here and there all of them carrying a weapon even the children because of the heartless. One had to wonder how in a city where even your hairdresser had a gun how the hell were so many crimes committed. Can't they leave the evil to the heartless? But then again this is Kingdom Hearts and it isn't exactly heaven. Ever since the heartless showed up and stole people hearts in order to make more heartless, those with their heart stolen would appear here. Where ever here was. It wasn't hell, but it wasn't the alternative either. And were any of them really people? Or were they merely shadows of their previous self? Did it even matter? Some people managed to leave and return from the world which they came, most stayed in Kingdom Hearts. Not out of there own will, but because they didn't know how to get back to their own world. Riku was the only one among them that had a choice to go to Kingdom Hearts. And even he wondered if it was worth it. Who knows? Maybe his own world was still fucked up.

Riku reached his destination, his apartment. He opened the door and stepped into the dark living space. The decor wasn't all that great. Just a couch, a few rugs, a bed, and a kitchen table. He walked past his living room and his kitchen, only stopping once to check his messages on his answering machine, all of with were from either solicitors or old girlfriends and one night stands. He took a left at his bathroom door and walked in to his room closing the door behind him. Riku threw his coat on a chair and stretched out on the bed as the answering machine replayed all of his messages.

"Riku this is Sally. I know you're home Riku. Fine don't answer, I'm through with you anyway. All I get is no phone calls, no dates, no nothing. Incept when you need sex. And half of the time you don't even call me for that, you're always so goddamn busy with your job. What about me? What about my needs? To make this message short Riku, I need a man who will satisfy my needs and be there for me. Not a man who's never there. We're through!" after the first message the answering machine in a automatic voice said "Second message."

"Whatever." said Riku "She wasn't even that good anyway. And not just the sex."

"Riku this is Jenny. You remember me right? You know, the girl with the orange highlights? Well listen, after that one night after the bar I never saw you again. Not that I'm complaining you were great and all, better than great actually. Its just that you could call. I gave you my number, remember? So call me okay? My number's 55-"

"Third message."

"Oh yeah I remember the blond with those ugly highlights, cute ass though." Riku said to himself. He had to hold back a laugh at the memory of that night; the girl was a little too naive and a little to stupid to figure out when she had been played.

"Riku this is your landlord. No it's not the rent, its about your place. Do you even live in it? You're almost never there, you always have a stack of mail or newspapers outside your door, and you never turn on the light. You've been living there for what, 10 years? I don't even see you when you pay the bills! Look if you've moved pick up your stuff, if not be at home more. I've got rumors flying around that you're a ghost and its spooking the tenants AND potential renters. So what I'm trying to say is get yourself a dog or cat, turn on the lights, get a girlfriend or whatever and stop spooking my tenets. Also stop wearing that trench coat. You know Mrs. Johnsen? Well she saw you in that and had a heart attack. You know how batty she is... She's okay through. Just for once do what I say, alright?"

"End of message. You have no more messages."

"Whatever. Where does he get off telling me what to do anyway. He's not may father and he certainly isn't my mother."

Riku looked at the shadows dancing on the ceiling and listened to the rain. The shadows turned and twisted with the light and movement from outside almost as if they were alive. "I wonder if Sora and my parents could see me now what they would say. Ah, what's the point? Like they would care anyway. I deserve this life and it's a hell of a lot better than being with them. All they would do is look at me with pity and sorrow. At least this way I don't have to see those looks and listen to all that pity crap." Maybe he was just a little bit bitter with how his life had turned out. Nothing he did seemed to chase the memories away.

He got out of bed looked, in a mirror at the same clothes he always wore. Which were the same clothes that he came into Kingdom Hearts. A yellow shirt with no sleeves, the sides of it black and bordered with white, with two black bordered white straps across his chest that form a X. Black half gloves that also are bordered with white and navy jeans with a belt, minus the purple puffy pants attachment. That had been the only article he had packed away. Riku hadn't changed his wardrobe because some part of him, a part he didn't really want to believe existed, still believed that Sora might just find him. If Sora was looking for him. Riku grabbed his coat and made sure he had his sword, which was fashioned in the shape of a red and blue wing with a lighter blue orb in the middle, and left to take a walk.

Outside it was quite incept for the sound of rain and thunder. Riku wrapped his coat tighter around him and made sure it was buttoned all the way while walking. He didn't know where he was going, but he needed some fresh air. Staying inside always made him think to much. After walking down a few blocks and killing a few heartless he found himself in front of a small park. Looking back over his shoulder into the empty street he hesitated only once before slipping past the gates like a ghost.

* * *

Kikyou did the only thing she could do, she ran. She started running away but didn't get very far as the centipede demon used its multiple legs to gained more speed and bit into her side. Kikyou elbowed it in the face and it let go, taking with it a chunk of her side. Kikyou put her hand over the wound and ran over to a tree and leaned against it knowing she should run further, but she was seriously injured and was losing a lot of blood. Kikyou looked down at her side and saw that when she had quickly put her hand over the wound something had dropped into it that wasn't blood. 

It was a jewel. No more then the size of a miniature snow globe, like the one with the winter angel in it that she had at home. The jewel was a light pinkish purple and seemed to glow her hand.

'Light and darkness.' whispered a voice in her head. Kikyou's eyes widen a bit at this, the affects of blood loss seemed to be coming pretty quickly. Surely she imagined that. It wasn't her voice.

She looked at the demon and saw it was looking at her while licking her blood off its fingers and nails. "The jewel," it said. ",so you are special after all. No wonder Ansem wants you. Well I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I brought him the jewel and not the girl." It gave off another one of its evil smiles, showing more of its sharp teeth and fangs. Kikyou's legs gave out from under her and she sank to the ground with her back against the rough, cool bark of the tree. Even she wasn't immune to the fear of death. How could she beat it? She didn't have a weapon and it was faster than her so she couldn't out run it. The centipede demon crawled until it was in front of her, it raised a clawed hand and Kikyou started to panic as it started to bring that hand down. Everything seemed to slow down, like in the movies, but only her life didn't pass by her eyes and there was no ticking of the clock or a miraculous savior. This was for real. She was going to die. Her flesh and bones were going to be ripped apart and her blood split on the ground, her face and body clawed unrecognizable and eaten. Her rich eyes turn dim and glassy and her body still and cold. And what ever remained would be eaten by the forest creatures before the police and the morgue reached it. She could practically hear her requiem.  
This was death. This was reality.

'I'm going to die,"she thought,"I'm going to die with out ever having a first kiss, or knowing true love, or-' As crazy, frantic thoughts raced through her mind they were interrupted by a flash of something white and black slashing the demon in front of her across its face. The thing—no person-- that hit it landed in front of her and the demon recoiled away from him.

"What are you doing here with out a weapon?" At the sound of a man's voice Kikyou looked up and at first saw only the broad back of a man clothed in black, dripping wet with the rain she just now noticed. Then she saw his handsome face as he turned his head to smile over his shoulder boyishly at her; with a glee that was more from killing then from seeing her alive. With platinum hair, dark green eyes, a strange sword, and wearing a black trench coat, this seemed more like the Matrix meet Final Fantasy then reality. Even more unreal than her previous situation. She was about to reply when she saw the centipede get back up and try to attack both of them. She stood up and pushed him out of the way, trying to spare him her fate.

A bright light flashed before her eyes that was the same color of the jewel in her hands and she heard a scream. Something cool and rejuvenating went throughout her whole body, and then the world went black.

'What happened...there was a girl and some type of heartless. What happened and what was that light?' Flash backs of what had happened up to this moment went through Riku's head. He felt something warm in his arms and his chest and looked down and saw the same girl from before. He took the time to look at her. She had black hair, pretty but pale features, and was a foot or two shorter then him. Her clothes were bloody and tattered, and from the look of the cloth she had either came or was going from some formal function. The rainwater and mud made the ugly, rough, material cling to her skin, turning the cloth into a body suit that showed off her pleasant body features. He estimated her to be about 16 or 17, maybe older.

Riku looked up at the dark sky. It was still raining, a flash of lightning illuminated the air. From the corner of his eyes he saw the slowly melting remains of the monster that had attacked the girl in his arms. "Riku, you just had to play the hero." he said to himself. He heard a groan and looked down at the girl. Her eyelids fluttered, the long dark lashes blinking back drops of moisture. She opened her deep, dark brown eyes and looked at him for a second, then pushed away from him and stood up. She looked down at her ruined light blue dress and then at him.

Riku stood up turned his back on her. He started to walk away when the girl that he saved called out to him.

"Wait," she shouted out and caught up to him ",thank you for saving my life."

"No problem. Don't have to thank me, I'm no hero. Now if you'll excuse me." replied Riku.

"Wait. I didn't even get your name. I'm Kikyou."

Riku sighed and kept on walking.

"I said wait!"

"What? My name's Riku, there, now I'm leaving."

"Then Riku where are you going?" Kikyou continued to ask him one question after the other. She was cold, lost in a unfamiliar place, and had almost been killed. She needed some answers.

Riku thought for a moment and then said: "I'm taking you back to the station." The girl seemed like she had a concussion, but more importantly, she was attacked by a unfamiliar heartless. This needed to be reported before more of them showed up.

"The what..." started Kikyou. She looked down at her hand that held the jewel and noticed that Riku had grabbed it and was dragging her out of the clearing.

Kikyou, who for the last half hour, being dragged to a unknown palace through a unknown city finally stopped struggling as they walked through the door of what looked to be a police station. All eyes were on them as they walked through it to a fairly large office. Kikyou blushed as she noticed how they must look like. Kikyou with rips and tears in her new dress and with mud stains and mud clinging all over her along with blood from wounds that mysteriously healed. And Riku also covered in mud and soaking wet like her, along with her being dragged in like some criminal.

As soon as they entered the office Kikyou dug her heels into the floor and used all her weight to pull herself backward. Riku let go of her arm and she feel to the floor with a loud thump which she was sure every one in the building heard. She rubbed her sore bottom to get rid of the pain and stood up, and after glaring coldly at her savior, looked for a chair to sit in. She found one, and despite the mud all over her and the rain water on her, sat down. In front of her, behind the desk was a short, white haired man. The gold bar on the desk said: Chief Commander Reaper Frollo. 'What the hell is a Reaper? They can't mean the "Grim Reaper", forbearer of death, can they?' thought Kikyou to herself from this new piece of information. If so this gorgeous, but rude, individual besides her had dragged her into the underworld (which explained everything, including the demon) and now she was being judged for her sins. By she was bringing all kinds of images into her head about Grim Reapers and rather or not she was dead and in Hell or Heaven, Riku was talking to Frollo.

"I found this girl and a strange unknown heartless in the national park. I think she may have something to do with its appearance, after all, what kind of idiot would be at a park at this time of night with out a weapon."said Riku.

At those words Kikyou stood up slammed her hands on the desk and shouted: "What! Now wait just a minute...what do you mean I may have something to do with it! Like I wanted to be kidnapped by some demon who was dragging me to some jackass named Ansem and then all most get teared apart by that that thing! I didn't do anything! Unless chasing after my damn cat counts as something and getting a fucking jewel torn out of your side!!" Kikyou stopped and panted because she said that all with one breath. Then she turned bright red at the knowledge that she just cussed and shouted at some kind of police office and chief. Such behavior that was uncalled for and completely out of character. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the whole building on her, even if she couldn't she them and they couldn't see through walls. She hadn't meant to shout, but she was confused at the recent events and mad at Riku for addressing her as some kind of spell casting loser who lost control of whatever the hell she was chanting, and upset as well as tired at the turn of events. Kikyou just wanted to go home now, even if that meant going home to her mother and Kagome.

"Ansem..."mumbled Riku.

"That can't be possible,"said Frollo.",you must have heard wrong."

"I know what I heard. That centipede said "Ansem".," Kikyou explained."And it wanted this." She might not know what was going on, but if she could help them help her, then maybe she could get home. Kikyou opened her palm, looked at the jewel, and dropped it on the desk. Frollo picked it up, examined it, then handed it back to her.

"But that can't be, Ansem has been dead for ten years."said Riku. This just didn't add up. How could he be alive? He was destroyed. Wasn't he?

"There has been a increase of heartless lately. I'm not saying that he could be back from the dead, I'm just saying you should investigate it." said Frollo. He glanced at Kikyou and then Riku, who understood the silent message: Frollo wanted him to investigate this matter. And for once he was all too happy to. The thought of Ansem still alive brought forth in Riku buried emotions or rage and hatred, and he wanted to extinguish them as soon as possible. And maybe in the process return back to his original world. But that didn't mean he would become a babysitter.

"Me? What about this girl?"

"I'm not a little girl and I have a name remember? Its Kikyou." Kikyou this time managed to calmly say.

"Riku, the girl will have to stay with you. She's the only lead we have on this case. And if what she says is true, then she's got something Ansem wants and she's going to need protection."said Frollo, leaving no room for further discussion and already planning out how they should handle this.

"Great, I have to protect her." Riku groaned. He wasn't exactly eye-witness protection material, and he didn't like Kikyou to begin with.

"Who says I need protection?" Kikyou wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea either. First of all, she didn't know him, second of all, she didn't like him, and third of all, this had nothing to do with her getting home.

"Do you have a weapon?" Frollo asked her.

"No." Kikyou replied. Kikyou thought she knew where he was going and was right in her prediction of Frollo's next words.

"Then you need protection." Frollo said firmly, leaving no room for discussion or argument.

"Fine then, but why do I have to get stuck with him?" Kikyou asked. Couldn't they find someone else to pair her with?

Frollo didn't answer but instead turned to Riku. "She's in your hands and she'll also be staying with you since we have no room for her here."

"Fine." Riku grabbed Kikyou roughly by the hand and headed out the door. He knew that all the holding cells were full here and if Ansem was alive he would have little trouble tearing this place apart. That and there was no arguing with Frollo once he was in one of his "moods", he always had to have his way. Riku lead Kikyou to his apartment with out saying anything more to her and neither did Kikyou say anything to him. The bite of his leather hand in hers silenced her complaints with pain and anxiety.

"So this is your apartment. Well where do you want me to sleep?" asked Kikyou. She wasn't in there long, but already she was a little homesick. This was the first time she had entered a mans apartment alone. She used to go over to Inuyasha's house all the time, but that was different. She had had Kagome with her then. If she wasn't so distracted by her situation, Kikyou would have started to feel anxious again. Here she was, stuck in a room shivering next to a man that she despised and had more power than her. If he wanted to he could just shove her onto his dirty little couch and have his way with her. Ruin her virginity and shatter her body and there would be nothing she could do. She owed him and there was no way home, and it was better than dieing.

Riku sighed and pointed to his room as he sat on the couch thinking, reliving past memories. Kikyou walked into his room and came out asking a question:"Where am I? What is this place?"

"Kingdom Hearts."

"Kingdom Hearts, I've never heard of a place like that on this Earth." Kikyou said while trying to not be disgusted with Riku's mess of a room. Clothes everywhere, boxes piled over with old paintings, used and dirty bandages and condom packages (which she really wished she hadn't saw) and used sheets were everywhere. At least there were no roaches, food particles, and body fluids anywhere in sight. But the thought of sleeping on the slimy bed filled her with a disgust that almost won out over her fatigue.

"Earth?" Riku asked. Was this a new world he had never heard of? Probably, but it was still surprising

"Yes I come from Tokyo, Japan, on Planet Earth. Wait you don't know what I'm talking about do you?"asked Kikyou as she turned away from a pile of Riku's dirty clothes to look a his confused expression. An expression that couldn't be faked, he honestly had no idea what she was talking about. Fear started to set it. It was just fine for an RPG or dating sim, but for something this frightening to happen in real life?

"No I don't. Why don't you fill me in because in this world there's no such thing as Tokyo." Riku said sarcastically. Why did he have to look confused? Something about her seeing him confused bothered him.

"I...I'm in another world." said Kikyou in disbelief. It was starting to all become frighteningly real, her position in the world. A refugee from planet earth. A torn, bloody, and scared little girl that wanted off this ride now and a return ticket home. However far home was away now...

"Yes."

"But my mom and my sister and even my cat Buyo...I'm never going to see them again? No I can't, I've got to find away to get back to my own world!" Kikyou screamed more to herself than to Riku as the fact that she was actually in a whole other planet sunk in.

"You and me both, but unless you want to go out there by yourself in the dead of night and fight those heartless out there without a weapon, you're not going no where. So go ahead, try it." said Riku sarcastically again. He walked in to his room, grabbed a clean gray shirt of his and handed it to her. "Take off your dirty clothes and hand them to me." After saying that he walked out of the room and back toward the couch. Kikyou closed the door to his room, changed, and handed her dirty clothes to him. Riku went down stairs to the laundry mat and then came back, he washed off the mud on his coat in the sink and listened to Kikyou take a shower. 'Great that makes two people that want to go home.' thought Riku to himself. Kikyou's feelings reminded him in some way of his feelings when the same thing happened to him. He tried to block out the memory of even that, and then stopped trying, finding that it wouldn't work this time. The only thing different were the situations that had bought the both of them here, Riku had wanted it while Kikyou obviously had not. She probably had friends and parents to go home to, who was waiting for him when he got back?

Kikyou stepped out of the shower dyed herself off, put on the shirt Riku had gave her, then walked into Riku's room. She laid on the bed (after tossing everything but the mattress pad off) and looked up at the ceiling. 'I don't suppose I can click my heels together and wish to go home. Face it Dorthy, you're not in Kansas anymore.' Kikyou thought sadly to herself and then looked at the jewel she still had hand in her. It was warm in her hand from her body heat and the steam from the shower. She still had a few more questions to ask, like who was Ansem anyway. Kikyou went in to the living room to talk to Riku. But she found him fast asleep. Instead of waking him up, she decided she would get some sleep as well.

Kikyou woke a hour later. She didn't know what time it was and didn't care enough to look at a clock. She went to get the clothes from the laundry mat. She slipped out of his apartment and some how found the place, took clothes out, and put them in the dryer. Then went back upstairs. She went back into Riku's bathroom to find a blanket for him and came out to find him having a nightmare.

In Riku's dream the past seemed to come back alive. The beach was as it always was sunny and relaxing. Usually around this time Sora would want to challenge someone and Kairi would be collecting seashells for her museum worthy collection.

"I wonder where he is anyway." said a 15 year old Riku. He was currently standing on his island. Looking out into the clam sea. The one place where he could be alone, well sometimes. Other times it was used to hang out with his friends. He looked down at his feet and saw a dark puddle of some kind of black liquid. It started to pull him under until he was in another space, another time, and another age. All around him was nothing but darkness, but some how he could see.

Riku looked down at his hands and noticed that he was 6 years old again.

"Always playing the hero, huh, Riku? But who's going to save you." said a dark voice from the shadows. Riku decided not to turn around and look for the owner of the voice, he already knew who that voice belonged to and decided to defy it.

"Ansem, you no longer have any power over me. Come out from hiding."

"Ah, but thats where your wrong Riku," Ansem appeared behind him, one hand going over his chest. "I have your soul!" Ansem plunged his hand into his chest and squeezed his heart into a vice grip.

Riku woke up and his head connected with Kikyou's, which sent her falling to the floor. "Ow, its about time you woke up! You were moaning and groaning in your sleep. I was just worried, you didn't have to sit up so fast." said Kikyou while rubbing her head with one hand and trying to keep Riku's shirt that he gave her and from riding up and showing way more than her legs.

Riku rubbed his own head with his right hand, still feeling the imaginary pain from the dream. "Next time you're worried about me, don't put your head so close mine!"

"Well sorry. But its your own fault for sitting up so fast!" Kikyou shouted back at him. Rage setting in as familiar as a worn glove, yet as foreign as a Hawaiian sunset. The two just glared at each other for awhile, Kikyou looking like a rejected Victoria's Secret model in unflattering gray and Riku still rubbing his head from a building headache of mammoth proportions.

Some where far away in a room, someone or something was listening in on their argument. It was the same thing that had sent Riku that nightmare just so he would also be informed on some level about what was happening. The only furniture in this room is a dark velvet throne. The room is covered in shadows and no door can be seen, reflected off the black marble floor is a light that's coming from a crystal globe on a black pedestal. In the globe both Kikyou and Riku are shown having an argument in Riku's apartment.

"Why were you so close to me anyway?"asks Riku. The globe seemed to be able to have the power to project peoples voices as well.

Kikyou blushes, the blood barely brightens her pale complexion, then replies: "I was trying to wake you up."

"By kissing me? I'm no sleeping beauty and you should save your first kiss for someone you love. Or am I wrong?" Riku said teasingly, knowing before she blushed again that he was right.

"Kiss you! I wasn't trying to kiss you!"

"Really. Well I think you're far too young for that too then. And here I thought you were a good girl from your appearance." Riku continued to tease.

"From what? What exactly are you implying?," Kikyou catches on to what he means and blushes a dark crimson.,"I barely know you and I think I'll save that for someone I love. And there's no way you're that person."

A dark figure appears on the throne like magic and smiles as he watches them. Claws click on the marble and a orange lion with a scar over his left eye and a black mane appears also.

"Oh what a lovely little girl and I see that boy is still alive Ansem." says the lion. The lion is also watching the globe as well as Ansem.

"Yes he is. Now what do you want Scar?" commands Ansem, he's wise when it comes to Scar's mind games and avoids one before it even begins.

"Nothing I just wanted to know why you want that girl."

"You mean Kikyou. I have my reasons." Ansem says quickly to his servant. He wanted to keep Scar as much out of his plan as possible without the lion noticing.

"You mean the jewel. Or maybe you just want the girl. I think she's a little too young for you. But what would I know, after all there is people who would do the deed with their children too."

"Begone Scar I can just as easily kill you as well, or have you forgotten who saved your life?" Ansem rises from his seat. Scar has gone too far this time, even implying that he would go through all the trouble just for a girl's body, the highest of insults.

"Temper, temper I do hope you take care off that. I wouldn't want you dieing on me already." And with those words Scar disappears as mysteriously as he came. Scar also has a plan of his own.

Ansem growls and then uses his power to make the globe show a close up on Kikyou, then the jewel and Riku. "Soon everything will be as it should have from the beginning and I will finally have the keys to the final door at last." The door Ansem is talking about it not Kingdom Hearts, but something much greater. Much greater and one that will cause more destruction as well. Something that began once upon a time long, long ago... (Chapter one, end)

* * *

**Author's Note: **This chapter was quite long hey? Well it only gets longer from here out. Those that don't like chapters that you can finish quickly probably won't like this fan fiction. But trust me, it's wroth the time it takes to read it. Through I warn you, this story it a bit confusing. I still haven't figured out where I'm going with this myself. Through don't make any assumptions about anything yet, just go with the flow you know? This version of the chapter is way better than the first, through it still has the same feel of the first. (including the horrible ending, I couldn't change that. ) But now on to the information I got for this chapter. Because trust me, I wouldn't have been able to do that description stuff on Riku with out the aid of the Internet. I would like to thank Misadventure, one of the best Riku fan sites on the web. You can find it by using this address: http://riku.riddel.nu/.  
The clothing for Kikyou I made myself. I wish I could fully describe how it looks in my mind. I know that it looks different in yours, but I wanted it to be really plain. Kikyou doesn't strike me as a person that would spend all she had for flashy clothes or would really care about wearing flashy clothes either. So it's just made out of plain cotton dyed a light blue color and isn't short since I doubt Kikyou would wear something too...revealing. I left out that it had some creases in it because I forgot the word for that. Is it pleated? I don't know, I should buy/find my dictionary. Character description is important since it says a lot about the character.  
For example, Kagome. I don't like Kagome, but I also had to be fair to her also. Kagome strikes me as a person that's not too much into her appearance, but just a little bit so when it comes to people she likes. Okay, more than a little bit. I know that sound like everyone, but not everyone would hit a half-demon for not caring about something that they wore or made. Kagome has anger problems I think, or maybe she's just stupid and doesn't know how to dish out her emotions without hitting somebody. Don't little boys do the same? Okay, so I am making fun of her. Well in this one I sort of glammed Kagome up so that you, the reader, could see how different her and Kikyou are. Kikyou though is going to be a little different from normal because she's human. Plus she's always alone, besides Inuyasha and a few brief meetings with other people. You never really get to see her interact with other people. I'm sure if someone lived with her for a while or got on her nerves in a major way she would snap at the person. Kikyou's not too emotionless, just enough to make her mysterious. For Riku, I tried to give the image of a person that is trying hard to forget and freeze himself from getting hurt. Through he has friends, he stays alone most of the time and doesn't open himself to many people. He uses woman probably for um...I don't really know if little kids are reading this or not...For pleasure only. Just to forget in that one moment when he, well "becomes one" with that other person. So having a woman around that's not interested in his body, or he interested in her, is a little weird for him. Especially since he has to protect her. I tired to make Riku cold, rude, not too ooc, and a womanizer with out turning him into a Miroku. I think I did good, for an earlier work of mine. 

I think the reason why my mind came up with all this was because of the fact that I was a big fan of Inuyasha back then and a big fan of Kingdom Hearts also. And I'm a fan of both Kikyou and Riku. Unfortunately I'm no longer a big fan of Inuyasha. I can't deal with all the fan girls, obsessed American fans (I'm not dissing Americans, because I'm American), and all the Kikyou haters. They turned me off because of how crazy they were/are. They just don't get it. It's just a show and everyone is entitled to my own opinion. I'm still a fan of Kingdom Hearts though and I'm glad to see that the Kingdom Hearts fan base hasn't turned out like the Inuyasha one. Through I still am interested in Inuyasha, I'll stick to the actually manga. Kingdom Hearts and Inuyasha at first don't seem to have anything in common. But if you think about it, they do.

Inuyasha centers around a not to bright dog demon named Inuyasha, a reincarnation of an ancient priestess that has extraordinary powers named Kagome, and Inuyasha's first love and first friend Kikyou. Kingdom Hearts centers around around a happy go lucky boy named Sora, his mysterious girl friend named Kairi, and his best friend (and for people that like S/R, first love) Riku.

Inuyasha has a powerful yet dangerous jewel called the Shikon no Tama. Or jewel of four souls. It has the power to grant it's user any wish, but at a price because it isn't purified. Also, one of Inuyasha's plot points are two swords that have the power of death as well as life. (for one of them anyay) Kingdom Hearts has powerful weapons called Keyblades that can be used for different purposes. Some good, some evil. No jewels, but powerful hearts are often talked about.

The main villains in Kingdom Hearts is a sort of dead, sort of alive man named Ansem (still confused on how he was able to become like that), a witch (whose name I forgot), and the heartless. Inuyasha's main villains are a half dead man who sold his soul to demons in order to become a half demon named Naraku, a demon born of Naraku that is a "wind witch", and a girl that can take peoples souls with a powerful mirror that is also born from Naraku. And both the witch from the KH series and the soul eater Kana (I think this is her name), are pale, short, wear white, and are creepy in their knowledge of events.

Inuyasha travels with several companions. Some not so smart, some annoying. Sora travels with two people-I mean-animals but meets many people along the way. Through the animals he always travels with can be annoying. See? They do have a lot in common. Character wise too.

I'll use Riku and Kikyou for this example and not everyone because it's getting late. Riku is smart, a leader type of person. Strong, and seems to be a person people can look up to. But he's also a little overconfident because of this and can make stupid choices. Through he makes up for that by trying to change what he already did in the end and help out his friends as much he can. Even if it means his death, or in this case, him being locked behind a door into another world. He's also very stubborn and brave. Riku focuses on the past a lot, and has trust issues. In the beginning he was just a little to trusting to those that offered him a hand, and because of that he had problems trusting people that were even close to him. Now he wants to find Sora and help those along the way in his own style so everything can go back to being normal.

Kikyou is smart, quiet, a leader and a high priestess. She's also strong in that people seem to look to her for advice because she seems wise beyond her years. But because of this, and because she rarely gets to let her emotions show, she can be a little too trusting of people that need her help. Likewise she can distrust completely once her trust has been broken by even those close ther her. Or at least she was. She also seems to be guided by past mistakes a bit, but over comes them. Kikyou helps out Inuyasha when she can and seems to want to die in order to help things go back to normal.  
The both of them seem alike to me. :) Addition information: Don't forget to review. Don't flame, constructive criticism is nice but don't complain about what I put up at the end of this chapter. I decided to name the law in this story "Reapers" since it's a new world, but I couldn't quite explain it. So Reapers are sort of like the police. If you don't understand it, don't try. The organization plays a minor part int his story. And, if you can believe it, I thought of everything from her to this current chapter before playing KH2. So any references to the second game are unintentional and no KH2 characters appear in this fan fiction. And chapters two and three should have more additional content being added, please keep checking back. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please review.


	2. The powers of a Priestess Part one

Oh and thanks for all the reviews, past and present. Also about Kikyou's name. I know you can spell it Kikyo, but its also spelled Kikyou. There's many different ways to spell it and this one was the first one I saw and liked. And the crime scene is important to the story, its part of the plot.

Disclaimer:Look at the one at the first chapter. Now lets start the story. Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker Chapter 2: The powers of a priestess.

_Quietly awakening._

_My world has no meaning_

_But my ways not easily to go_ _Years..._

_Thousands of years in existence_

_When I see love I have to take my time._

_Spent my days alone_ _Being by myself._

_Without you..._

* * *

Riku woke up and stared at the light reflected off the ceiling from the kitchen window. For a second he didn't know who he was or where he was. And then he slowly remembered. He smelled bacon and eggs and was reminded of his mother. He could almost imagen her cooking breakfast for him and asking him to hurry up and eat or he would be late for school.

"Riku, I know you're up."

Riku wordlessly sat up and looked across the couch at Kikyou. She placed a plate of bacon and eggs on the table. And sat down across from the plate closes to the window and looked out from it. Riku put a hand through his hair and stood up. He found his coat on the hanger near the door and put it on.

"Thanks for last night..." Kikyou trailed off lost in thought. "Your shirts on the bed. Lucky for me a nice old lady a few doors down offered to fix the tears in my clothes."

Kikyou watched two children play with a dieing heartless head. She looked up to the sky to get away from the sight, but it was just as dark as her heart was for the moment. It wasn't cloudy but it was like a dark net covered the blue, allowing it to be seen but not to shine with the sun, which was equally dark. Kikyou felt emotionless, which wasn't a new feeling. She couldn't always be happy. And she had no reason to now...

Riku sat down and looked at Kikyou while using a fork to play with the eggs on his plate. He watched as she unconsciously played with the glimmering jewel in her lap. Riku watched as she picked it up and then dropped it down back into her lap. He could see it was darker then last night. It was almost like it was connected to her. But that was impossible right?

Kikyou finally got annoyed at him playing with her food. "Riku are you going to eat it or not?"

He looked up from his plate and then pushed it toward her. Kikyou stood up and the jewel fell to the floor glittering angrily. She picked up the plate and set it down harshly in front of him almost breaking it.

"Riku I got up and made this for you as a thank you gift from barely nothing since you have almost nothing in your refrigerator. So you better eat it." She bended down and picked up the jewel and then stood by the table. Riku looked down at the plate. It did look sort of good and he hadn't had a home cooked meal in a long time. Maybe longer then he could remember. Plus it was a thank you gift right?

He picked up a piece of bacon and ate it, Kikyou smiled and sat down in her seat by the window. Riku stood up after he was finished and started for the door. Kikyou sat up with a start. She didn't expect him to leave so soon with out wanting to say anything about last night. She followed him to the door just in time to see him check to see if he had his sword.

"Stay here. I don't need you following me like a lost puppy." said Riku.

"I'm not a lost puppy and I have a name you know. And you could say my name, it's K-i-k-y-o-u." she spelled out the words that made out her name slowly so he could understand. Riku looked at her annoyed for the obvious slow spelling of her name. She was worst then Kairi, which almost brought him pain. Pain which he didn't need especially now.

"You would just be a burden. If you really think you can't live without me I'll be back in a few hours." with that he patted her head and left. Kikyou waited until she couldn't hear his foot steps to scream.

"How dare he! Patting my head like I'm some kind of a dog! And telling me I'd be a burden! I can't stand him! I hope he never comes back!" Kikyou paced the room, still feeling angry at Riku. She picked up a pillow off the couch and threw it at the door. And then threw herself on the couch. The last thing she needed was him to treat her like a little kid. She looked at the jewel in her hand.

"What should I do?" asked Kikyou. The jewel didn't answer. It just glowed brightly for a second. "I have to follow him don't I? If I don't then I'll never get out of here. And I can use him as a guide until I can think of someway to get back to my own world." Kikyou looked at the jewel and this time it glowed more brightly then the second time. She took that as a yes and then stood up and left to find Riku.

* * *

It wasn't to hard backtracking back to the station and then waiting for him to come out. She had learned a great deal of information just by following him. Like what was his friends names or what street they were on. But nothing useful.

Kikyou sighed. 'I'll never know what their really talking about if I don't get closer to them.,' Kikyou thought to herself. 'But if I get closer they'll see me...'

Kikyou then spotted a reporter in a brown trench coat and hat walking and whistling to himself. His name was printed on a reporter ID that he had on his jacket, but Kikyou didn't have time to look. When he pasted by her she grabbed him into the ally and easily knocked him out. She put on his coat and put his munny and the jewel in one of the pockets. Kikyou put on the hat and fake mustache that he had in his pocket and walked out of the ally to catch up to Riku.

"Excuse me sir, but would you happen to be Riku."

Riku turned around at sound of someones overly manly voice and saw Kikyou. He could easily see through her disguise. And her with that reporters ID and fake mustache was almost too funny to believe, but he played along with it.

"Yes I am."

"Good. I'm doing a story on your most recent case. Do you mind if I tag along?"

Riku pulled Kikyou a good hearing distance away from his partners as both Pocahontas and Li stared at them.

After they were a good distance away he stopped and ripped off her fake mustache.

"Ow, what did you do that for!" whispered Kikyou in her normal voice.

"What are you doing following me?" asked Riku with hardly concealed anger.

"Well you weren't really expecting for me to be a good little girl and do what you say now did you Riku?"

Riku was about to reply when Pocahontas and Li came up to them.

"Miss this story your writing. Can I be in it too?"asked Li.

"After all Riku here does owe us something." said Pocahontas. She took Kikyou aside asking for her name as Kikyou took out a notepad and gave it to her. She smiled at Riku and said: "Of course you guys can be in it. Right Riku."

"Right." When the other two had turned their backs he made a fist and smacked it into his hand when Kikyou was looking at him. Kikyou gulped and said nothing, knowing that she still had some protection as long as Pocahontas and Li were around.

* * *

Pocahontas, Li, and Riku were forced, well Riku was really forced, in to bring Kikyou along as they headed back to Sleepy Hollow to question the villagers for what seemed like the hundredth time. Kikyou was amazed at the space ship they called a "gummi ship", while Pocahontas and Li were confused at her strange behavior until Riku filled them in on the situation and what happened last night. This included telling them that Kikyou wasn't a real reporter.

Kikyou, now feeling guilty and a little air sick, decided to say sorry to Riku so he would stop glaring at her. That and she did feel a little guilty for following him. She still wasn't quite sure why she did it, she could have waited for him. But the need to see him seemed to win over her anger toward him.

After Kikyou finally got use to a gummi ship and stopped clinging on to the back of a chair for dear life she sat down next to Riku.

"Your friends are nice." said Kikyou. She put her hands into a fist and laid them on her knees. She sat at the window seat with Riku looking down at them. She was still embarrassed that he found out that she had been following him.

"Feh" Riku looked away from her and at the stars in space that the ship was flying past.

"Riku are you still mad at me?" Kikyou's voice came out more shaky and unsure then she wanted it to. For some reason him being mad at her bothered her. Maybe it was just because she was alone in this unfamiliar world. And through Riku was a jerk, this Kikyou was certain of, she still held some bond with him. What he said about "you and me both" must mean that he also once was lost in a unfamiliar place. Or maybe it was just because she had to live with him.

"..." Riku choose not to answer. He was angry at her but didn't really know why. Maybe her behavior at that moment made him think about Sora. He used to follow him around too when they were younger. But Kikyou wasn't Sora, and there was no reason for her actions to remind him of his long lost friends.

"Riku answer me!" Kikyou had had enough of his silence. She knew he was angry at her, but still...she needed him to answer her! "Riku..." Kikyou started but trailed off when he saw his thought full expression. His eyebrows were bunched up and his eyes slightly narrowed. For some reason, she found it funny.

Riku glanced over at her when he thought he heard her crying but instead she was laughing at him. "

What?" Riku asked.

"Nothing." Kikyou responded. She wanted to keep this to herself.

"Tell me."

"No."

"Kikyou tell me or else-" Riku was cut off by Kikyou.

"No its my little secret. Its for me to know and for you to find out."

Riku glared at her and looked out the window. Kikyou sighed and turned back to her own thoughts. Her mind drifted to the events of last night and the last night she had spent with her family.

"Riku will everything be alright? Will I ever go back home? Tell me the truth and not a grown-up answer either, I want the truth." Kikyou finally asked after a long period of silence. Riku was about to reply when heartless ships came toward them.He was about to get up and help to destroy them when Pocahontas told them over the intercom they could take care of them their selfs. One of the ships rammed one side of their ship and Kikyou fell against him, her head on his chest.

When the attack ended Kikyou blushed and looked up at Riku. The attack only took about 20 seconds, but it seemed to last forever. Maybe it was because the ship wouldn't stop shaking so Kikyou was forced to remain against Riku until it was finally over. Kikyou looked up at him finally and brown eyes met green. Riku was about to say something about this, probably some sarcastic or a apology, when Li walked in.

"Wow, Riku, you sure get to know women fast. Its only been two hours since we met her and your already-"

Riku stood up and left the room after pushing Kikyou away from him. He gave Li a death glare as he walked past him to exit the room.

Kikyou blushed a light rose color and said: "Its not what it looks like...Um did something happen? Is everything okay?" She looked around the red room, the chairs, the desk, anything then him. It felt like he had just walked in on them having sex or something.

"Every things fine. We've landed in Sleepy Hollow."

"Oh." Kikyou looked back up at Li and noticed he was still looking at her.

"Is something wrong?" Kikyou asked at his lingering stare. It was starting to make her uncomfortable.

"Nothing. Its just..."Li stared down at the red carpet and put his left hand behind his back and started to rub his head.

"What is it? Is it about me, or the case that you guys are working on, or-"

"Its nothing like that! It's Riku..."

"What about him?" Kikyou looked straight into his eyes. She hated it when someone wouldn't tell her what she wanted to know or what they were going to say and would rather play a guessing game.

"I...I know that Riku's handsome and all but...," Li blushed at the words that he just said about his best friend."But don't fall in love with him. You're to much of a nice girl to get hurt..."

Kikyou was about to ask him what that meant when Pocahontas stepped in to the room.

"Hurry up! Riku and I were waiting outside for 10 minutes for you two! What's taking so long! Let's hurry up and finish this case already."

"Okay we'll be outside in a minute."said Li.

Pocahontas left after seeing the serious expression on his face. Li looked at her then left. Kikyou looked down at herself and left to leaving the reporter's ID tag and hat on the desk. After that she joined the others outside where they left the ship behind and went in to the forest.

'What does he mean don't fall in love with Riku? Like I would. Love is something I don't need right now or ever.' Thought Kikyou while walking behind the others on the horse path in Sleepy Hollow's forest. Kikyou was reminded of her mother with her words. Of how she would always look like her world just shattered. It was a look Kikyou had lived with for years. She would always look at Kagome and Kikyou like they were all she had and if anything happened to either one of them she would kill her self. Not like she already hasn't tried.

Finally they reached there destination. A clearing in the woods. Dead leaves littered the ground like a carpet and the large black tree in the middle loomed eerily. The tree looked to be as tall as a small house and the bark was a strange deep black color. The branches were bare indicating that the tree was dead and were twisted toward the sky.

Riku and his partners walked toward the tree while Kikyou stood toward the way they had entered. 'I feel like somethings wrong. Some over powering presence...' Thought Kikyou, something was wrong. Every nerve in her body felt like it was ready to snap.

The dry dead leaves at her feet blew around her with a sudden unnatural gust of wind. Suddenly a dull thumping could be heard.

'Whats that sound? It sounds like horses' hoofs.' Kikyou turned around and looked down the path that they had taken. At first she couldn't see anything but the winter trees and then a dark shape appeared. It was coming closer and closer, and when it was a few yards away the sight made the color drain from her already pale face. A headless man in black armor riding a black horse that looked like it came from hell. Before Kikyou could scream or turn around and run the headless horseman took out a sword. Kikyou didn't wait to wonder what the red liquid at the end of his sword was to scream.

"Riku!"

Riku turned around as Kikyou took a step back.

The horse stopped and Riku and the others saw the murderer that they had been looking for.

The only problem was how to defeat him.

* * *

This chapter didn't really need to be redone. It was fine just the way it was so I just touched up a few elements. As you can see, I left chapter one and two intact. I didn't add or take anything away from it.

Now I hope you appreciate my hard work and review. :)


	3. The powers of a priestess Part Two

This chapter needs a lot of work. I got really chatty at the end and all those spelling mistakes! Never mind I hope to make this chapter better than what it was before, but with out changing at thing. After all, this is the chapter where Kikyou goes from depending on Riku to depending on herself. And maybe, when the time calls for it, depending on Riku as well. Yep, most successful partners ships shouldn't be one sided.

Disclaimer:What I told you guys already. I don't own them. I only own the wonderful plot. And I already told you that in the first chapter.

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker Chapter 3: The powers of a priestess.

_I can't seem to find you _

_And it seems that..._

_I'm over whelmed with everything_

_What was once so clear..._

_Seems lost to me_ _I'm searching for the meaning in my past_

_But all I seem to find..._

_Is hopelessness_

_But maybe thats what I've been searching for all along..._

* * *

Riku took out his sword. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Pocahontas taking out her staff and Li taking out his own sword. And in front of him he could see Kikyou.

A voice at the back of his head told him that there's no way he can actually save her, and why should he bother. Why indeed. He didn't owe her anything. Sure she had saved his life, this he wasn't even really sure of, but that didn't mean he had to play hero. Plus she was annoying. And the last thing he needed was some little girl following him around.

Pocahontas was already working on a magic spell, most likely fira. While Li was working on figuring out how to help Kikyou and stop that monster, which was extremely unlikely that he could do both.

Riku didn't have much time to decide. That horse wasn't stopping and that sword didn't look like a toy. Faintly he could hear Pocahontas yelling at him to help her. But help her how? What exactly was he suppose to do? He looked to Kikyou and saw that she was still standing there. Maybe she was excepting her fate.

'Its not my problem. I'm not some damn babysitter, but if so then why is it so hard to walk away?' Thought Riku to himself. This was the perfect damn moment for him to develop a conscience.

"Fuck it." Riku muttered to himself then ran off toward Kikyou. If he didn't save her it would cost his job, and maybe that wasn't the only reason. "

Riku wait we don't have a plan!" yelled Li. Riku ran off in Kikyou's direction and almost got hit by Pocahontas's spell.

"Fuck the plan! I can't wait forever!" yelled Riku over his shoulder. He could already see he was too late, but he wasn't going to sit around and watch. No matter what his own self had to say.

(Kikyou's preview)

'Why am I just standing here, waiting for my death like some women in a bad horror movie? Shouldn't I be running to the side so I can get out of its path or something? I didn't get this far just to die. I didn't almost get killed by a demon or put up with Riku for nothing. Or have a freaking jewel get ripped out of my side. So for the love of god, Kikyou move!' Thought Kikyou to herself.

But despite her protest, she couldn't move. She watched as the blood from the horse man's sword made a trail in the dirt, and how the light glittered off of it. How the black armor reflected in the sunlight, or how the demon's horse eyes moved.

Now in the distance she could hear Riku yelling something. He was only a yard or two away or maybe farther then that. It should have filled her with joy knowing that she might not die after all. But Kikyou knew better, she wasn't going to live, she was only a minor character in this story. One of the characters that get killed by the villain or you never hear of except once.

The headless horse man stopped in front of her and raised his sword. Kikyou's head raised also, if she was going to die she wanted to see how she would, not hide from her fate.

'I except. I think this might just be destiny. But I wish I didn't have to die. I wish I could just stop the world right now. Maybe if I was stronger I could deal with this...' Kikyou's thoughts were interrupted when the jewel that she had in her coat pocket appeared right in front of her. It glowed with a supernatural brightness, its light blinded both Kikyou and the headless horse man. The horseman backed up at the light.

Kikyou's limbs moved on their own and her left arm moved up, grasping out for the jewel. Her hand out stretched it self and a bow appeared. It looked for a second like it was made out of the same hard stone like the jewel and then it changed until it was just a black bow with a white handle.

'What is happening? Why does this seem so familiar...'

(Kikyou's memories)

A nine year old Kikyou stood in her priestess robes out by her mothers garden. She faced a tree that she had drew a crewed bullseye on. She raise her practicing bow at the target.

'Please, just let me hit it this one time...'

Kikyou had read about Robin Hood in her fairy tale book and had wanted to be just like him by taking up archery. She had yet to hit the target and her mother didn't have enough money to take her to a class to learn. It had been expensive enough just to buy the practicing bow and arrows. 'Please, I want to hit it. I wish to hit it. Please just let me...This one time. I want to not be such a faliure...Just this one time...'

Kikyou raised her bow and notched a arrow in it. She pointed it with trembling hands at the target. And let the arrow fly.

'Please...just this one time...let me hit it...'

A bright violet light appeared around the arrow and then darkness. Kikyou had been knocked out by the force of the strange light and the power that came with it.

Her mother had been so shocked and frightened by what happened and by what she saw when she went outside, to tell Kikyou that lunch was ready, hat she told her that she could never practice archery again. Along with this she told her that it was a dangerous weapon and she had no right playing with it, Kikyou's mother took away Kikyou's bow and arrows, and told her that someone in the woods was smoking and that they threw a still lit cigarette at the tree and it caught fire.

Well that would explain why the tree was burned to a crisp but it didn't explain the light. Over the years she forgot about the incident or about her disappointment about not being able to practice archery. Even if she did hit the target...

(Now Kikyou's preview but present time)

Kikyou took the bow and the light disappeared. The headless horse man once more advanced and tried again to hit her with his sword.

Kikyou surprised herself by dodging it. She crouched and dodged another attack and her lips curled up into a small evil smile. She stood up to her full height. Her face became unreadable and she notched a black arrow in to her bow from a arrow bag that mysteriously appeared on her back. Kikyou gathered power that she didn't even know she had and let the arrow fly. The same light she had seen come out of the jewel years ago surrounded the arrow. It hit its target and the headless horse man griped his side and put a hand out behind him as a black portal appeared.

Him and his horse backed up in to and through it and Kikyou looked around in amazement at what she had just done. To her the world seemed to be spinning and she could barely focus on anything. Everything turned black as she fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

"She may just have more power than the jewel can hold. Or maybe it's the other way around." said Ansem. He twirled the crystal glass around on one finger. He stopped it and looked at Kikyou's lifeless form the the globe displayed. 

"I wouldn't be surprised," commented Scar. "Like father like daughter after all."

Both Ansem and Scar started to laugh.

* * *

Kikyou woke up and was surprised to find herself in a nice, big warm bed. A lady in a 18th century brown dress walked in and looked at her in amazement. 

The serventran out of the room and left the door open. She could hear her foot steps pound on the hard wood floor as she ran down the hall.

Kikyou looked around. The floors were all hard wood and so were the walls. A open window was just across from the wooden bed that she laid in. And the brown trench coat that she had stolen was hanging from the bed post besides her head. Propped up under the window was the bow and arrows that had appeared in front of her in the woods.

Memory returned to Kikyou and she got out of bed and walked across the room. After reaching what was now her bow, she it in her hands to look it over.

Riku, after hearing that Kikyou had just woke up, walked in. He knocked on the door to get her attention and Kikyou turned around. "You're finally awake I see. You've been out for hours."he said while leaning against the door frame, and crossed his arms across he's chest.

Kikyou sighed and waved a hand in front of her. "You can come in Riku."

Kikyou sat down in front of the window while Riku sat down in front of the bed.

"The others were pretty worried about you. I hope you can explain what just happened."

"I wish I could. But I don't know what happened. I guess I was just lucky."replied Kikyou. Riku dug in his coat pocket and handed her the jewel.

"Well that's not much that I can use to file a report on. But until we find out what happened I guess well just have to accept that."said Riku.

Kikyou looked down at the bow and arrows in her hands. She set the case of arrows to the right of her and let her hand travel over the bow.

"There seems to be writing on it..." Kikyou could barely see it. It seemed to be written in a different language and it was carved into the wood."It says something...,"started Kikyou,"About...a key to a door...I'm surprised I can read it."

Riku looked at her while she squinted at the bow and attempted to read it. The whole situation was starting to remind him of something he had tried so hard to forget.

"It says: The jewel of the heart is the master of the keys to the door...I can't read the rest. I think the writing on the wood got sanded or faded with time. After all who knows how old this bow is."

"It could be even older than you." Riku teased to break the tense atmosphere in the room. Kikyou glared at him while Riku just smiled.

"You know Riku your a louse."

"Yep, I sure am."replied Riku. Kikyou rolled her eyes as he gave her a thumbs up sign. The good humor in the room didn't last long as Kikyou suddenly remembered that she was starting to like his company and how few times she could joke around with her family. And how it felt when she was holding that bow earlier, that feeling of power.

Kikyou looked sadly back down at the bow in her hands.

"You know Riku, for a minute there I wasn't so sad anymore. When I had that bow in my hands back in the woods, I was emotionless..."said Kikyou. Her eyes started to water and she turned around so that she now faced the window. "I always wanted to run away and find some new world, even though it was impossible. I thought anything was better then being at home. I didn't care how far away I was from everyone. I just wanted adventure. I want a world where anything was possible...where my every wish would come true. And I got my wish too. Except for the wish part of course... I guess I should have been careful about what I wished for..." Kikyou trailed off and Riku stood up the same time she did.

"Kikyou..."

"No, I'm okay Riku. Not like I don't deserve what's happened to me. Unless you were going to say something else. It's just that maybe if I hadn't tried so hard to keep everything inside. Or maybe if things at home were different." said Kikyou. She looked at the dark woods while Riku this time didn't say anything.

"My mother's always sad and depressed because of me and my sisters father. He left me when I was still a baby and when my mother was pregnant with my sister Kagome. And because of that she always tries to hold on to us, she's always afraid something bad will happen and she will be left alone again. She's even suicidal. She tries to hide and say that she's not but I can see that she is, I've seen the cuts on her wrists. And Kagome, she tries so hard to not see what's happening to mom by always trying to be cheerful. She goes out all the time with her friends, always leaving the house if things get too tough of sad, is constantly denying that anything's wrong, and going out and staying up all night with her boyfriends. So that leaves everything to me. I have to take care of the shrine, I have to take care of the house, and I even have to take care of our damn cat. Every single responsibly goes to me. When my mother dies I'm to take care of the shrine, because we all know Kagome doesn't want to take care of it. And I'm already taking care of it now. I was born and raised in that house and the grounds around it and I shall die in it too. I always see in magazines the pictures of the world. The places like the United States, or Europe, or even places that my not exist like Atlantica. I can never go see them, I can't leave my mother or the shrine. So I smile and try not to see the worst of it like Kagome does. But it doesn't work. And I always always wish that I could run away from it all. I wish to see new worlds, not just the one outside my window. And now I did. But the price is that my mother's probably worried or trying to kill herself because of my disappearance. And Kagome's probably never there. No doubt going out with friends instead, to get away from it all. Now I'm stuck here and I don't know why. Why me why not Kagome? Or someone better then me, someone braver, or stronger, or tougher. Now every things fallen apart and I can't pick up the pieces..." Kikyou trailed once again off. Dispite herself, her shoulders shook with the unsuccessful effort of trying not to cry. She didn't mean to open up old wounds or tell Riku about herself, it just happened. Maybe it was so easy because it had been bottled up inside all this time. Tears slipped down her cheeks and landed in small puddles on the hard wood floor.

Riku sighed and walked over to her. He put his arms around her shoulders and whispered in to her ear: "So what. Your mothers a weak suicidal idiot and your sisters a bitch that likes to party. Nothing I haven't heard of before. In my opinion your worse then both of them put together. Must run in the family."

Kikyou's stopped crying and her eyes grew larger. She pulled away from him, turned around, and stared at him in shock because she couldn't believe what she heard. No ones that heartless right?

Riku smirked and stood there staring right back at her. "You heard what I said. Your mothers a weak-" He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, since at that moment Kikyou slapped him, hard.

The sound of her hand connecting with his cheek echoed across the room. It seemed like it drowned out any other sound in the house. From the force of the slap Riku's head had been turned to the side he straightened his head and put one gloved hand up to his now red cheek.

"You bastard." Kikyou said as she slowly and silently started to cry again, but this time in anger. She snatched up her bow, arrows, and the jewel and climbed out the window.

Pocahontas came into the room. She had arrived andbeen listening in on the conversationwhen Kikyou stopped talking about her family.

"How could you Riku. I know your as cold as ice but still...Aren't you going to go after her?"askedPocahontas.

Riku flicked out his tongue to lick away the blood that had trailed down from the corner of his mouth. He hadn't expected for her to hit him that hard. "She'll come back when she's hungry. Besides its not my problem. Maybe now she'll have something else to think about besides her own problems for awhile." Riku replied, forcing himself to say it causally and like he didn't really care so Pocahontas wouldn't figure anything out. But she did.

"You mean you told her that just so she could forget for awhile?"

"You know you aren't so dumb after all."replied Riku. He left the room as Pocahontas looked out the window and started to wonder if Riku's words wouldn't drive her in to danger.

* * *

(The next morning.) 

"The nerve of him. I can't believe what a asshole he is!" Kikyou was still mad about the events of last night. So mad that she didn't even see that she had stepped in to the clearing that she had received her bow and beat the headless horse man in. It seemed that everything looked the same, she had walked all night without rest after all.

"He comes on all nice and sweet and looking like a angel, then he acts like a complete asshole. Never mind the fact that he's cute, it's always the cute ones that are jerks. Just look at Inuyasha or his brother Sesshoumaru. I can't believe I fell for the old "hold me" trick. Wait did I say he was cute?"Kikyou said to herself. It must have been her sleep deprived brain that was forcing her to ramble.

"Kikyou you idiot he's the same person that insulted your family, never mind the fact that he tried to save you when that demon was attacking you! He's a asshole thats what he is. And if I ever see him again it will be too soon!" Kikyou continued to yell at herself.

Kikyou faced the large black tree in back of her and crossed her arms over her chest. Kikyou calmed herself down by studying the trees ugly exterior. It seemed to twist and bend in impossible ways, maybe it did that because it was old. Or maybe...

Kikyou snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed that there was someone behind her. Kikyou turned around and saw a women in a black and white 18th century dress. She had her blond hair piled high on her head and a ugly smile on her face.

"My, my I thought no one came out to these parts of the woods especially with a killer loose. You know he has killed 5 people already."said the women. Her hideous smile got bigger and she circled Kikyou. Kikyou stepped around in a circle with her, not wanting to give her her back.

"No I didn't know. Thanks for telling me." Kikyou without much feeling. In a way this was like one of those stare downs on tv, if she gave her the advantage by looking confused or scared the other woman would pounce on her.

The women stopped and Kikyou stopped. They were facing each other, each in front of the entrench that Riku and Kikyou along with Pocahontas and Li use yesterday to get there.

The women stepped up to her until they were only an inch apart. She embraced her and Kikyou felt she couldn't move, just like she couldn't move before when she was about to get killed yesterday. How could this woman have that much power?

The women let her hands trail down her back until they hanged over Kikyou's hips. Blood dripped from the woman's left hand from a wound she had inflicted in order to cast this spell.

"Mmm...your so tense child. You should relax it will all be over soon."she said. She lad her head over Kikyou's heart.

"Wh...what do you mean it will all...all be over soon." Kikyou said, trying to at least keep her mouth from being unable to scream. If she kept calm then everything will be alright. Kikyou knew this, but like all animals caught in a trap, panic overwhelmed her and showed slightly in her voice.

The women pulled away from her and looked at her with a hate that Kikyou was surprised that she hadn't seen before.

"You ruined everything. Those Reapers were suppose to die and so were you for coming so close to figuring it out. You also almost killed my horse man."

"You summoned him? You control that thing?"exclamied Kikyou. She hadn't been expecting that, or had she?

"It was a man along time ago. But I'm afraid child that you won't live to hear the tale.," The woman in front of Kikyou stepped away from her and took out a skull from the a pocket in her dress and held it in one hand high above her head along with a piece of Kikyou's hair that she had managed to get off of her when she had embrace her.,"Come out my horse man, a new victim awaits. One that I'm sure you would love to meet again."

Kikyou was finally able to move again. She looked down the path and saw a familiar black shape heading toward them. It was coming 2x faster then last time. It reached them in no time at all and before Kikyou could take out a arrow it grabbed her by the neck and pulled her up off the ground slightly.

The headless horse man leveled his now clean and shaper sword with her neck. Kikyou could barely breath but she managed to scream the first word that came to mind.

"Riiikkuu!"

* * *

In another part of the forest Riku and his partners were looking for Kikyou. Riku, because he was forced to, and Pocahontas and Li because they were worried about Kikyou. She hadn't returned yet and non of the villagers had seen her.

Riku looked up as he heard Kikyou's voice. The birds over head flew away from the trees from voice he and the evil presence they felt.

"Riku, that was Kikyou!" exclaimed Pocahontas even though she didn't really need to tell them at all.

"Thats not all we have to worry about."voiced Li. Several heartless emerged from the ground, they came toward them in a staggering manor that only heartless could Pocahontas did a flare spell, which desinagrated them, but even more showed up to take their place. All of the heartless in front of them seemed to appear and try to stop them in front of the path that lead to the middle of the forest and where the latest murder had occurred. Not to mention where Kikyou had fainted. The scream sounded like it came from that path, and was in fact where Kikyou was. It was like something was trying to keep them apart from Kikyou.

Riku, Pocahontas, and Li all silently agreed that that was where they must go and, regardless of the heartless,t hey started trying to clear a path. Through clearing a path seemed to be pointless since more kept appearing.

"I don't have time for this!"yelled Riku. He ran in front of the others and used one of his more powerful attacks. When more heartless start popping up out of the ground after this, Riku just pushed through them, ignoring the pain. Finally he broke through the heartless and started heading at full speed toward where Kikyou was.

"Thats just like Riku. Always showing off." Pocahontas said to Li by they were trying to catch up to Riku.

* * *

The headless horse mans keeper, the witch with the skull was yelling at him to hurry up and finish her when Riku jumped through the trees. Riku had decided to forget the path and make his own abd had heard someone yelling and had guessed correctly that that was where Kikyou was and jumped through the wall of trees after covering his face with his arms.

Riku rolled on the ground, then got up and almost cut off the hhm's(Short for headless horse man) hand off. Luckly for the demon, he let go of Kikyou before Riku could cut his hand off. Kikyou fell to the ground and put her hands around her neck. She started coughing while Riku was blocking a hit from hhm's sword with his own.

"Hurry up and stop that witch. She must be controlling him!" yelled Riku over his shoulder.

"What you think she is? Of course shes controlling him!" Kikyou stood up and tackled her. Kikyou landed on top of her and punched her across the face. "Thats for touching me Bitch!" yelled Kikyou at the witch. Kikyoutook the skull fromthe witchand tossed it up into the air so she could destroy it with a arrow. She was about to shoot it when the women pushed her, ran and grabbed the skull.

"You can't stop us! I won't let you!" She started gathering power for a Blizzaga spell. She started to shot it at Kikyou and Kikyou countered with a Blizzaga attack of her own.

'I can do magic! Well this is a improvement.' Thought Kikyou as she watched as both of the powers of ice tired to over power the other.

"I can't afford to lose to someone like you. I have people waiting for me, people that depend on me!"yelled Kikyou over the sound of the battle at the women.

"And who would that be!"the witch yelled back."At least "my" kind of people aren't people that believe that the world will get better and justice will prevail. All I wanted was a little power-"

"A little power? You must mean a lot of power then! Your kind of power is something I want never to experience, I'm not going to take the easily way out. If I want something I'll work for it, I'll beat my demons myself. You're right though, the world won't get better and justice won't always prevail, but I can at least try to make things better for those around me, like my family!"yelled Kikyou back at the witch. As the symbols on her bow and arrow glowed and a violet light grew at the tip of Kikyou's notched arrow. Kikyou let the arrow go and it his the witch in the chest, burning and knocking her out in the attacks purifying light.

The hhm stoped fighting, turned away from Riku, and picked up the witch and his fallen skull. He put his head back on and Kikyou and Riku, along with his partners who had just arrived, looked in horror and disgust as the flesh started growing back on it. First his veins, then his muscles, his eyes, then his hair and skin.

He started riding toward the black tree and it opened up and reviled the bloody skulls of his victims along with the portal to hell. The woman in his arm woke up and started to scream, he stopped her screams when he kissed her on the mouth and used his razor sharp teeth to bite off her tongue. Blood trail down her mouth as she looked at him in angst at what was happening while he just smiled. The horse, the women, and the now not headless man went through the portal to hell and it closed behind them.

"Well that raps up another case. Lets go." said after a period of long silence Riku. Li used a Curaga on everyone and they started to walk away. Kikyou stood where she was and looked at the black tree.

Suddenly a white mist of two shapes came out of the tree, and before she could say anything, flew into the jewel. It glowed evilly and a unfamiliar voice in her head muttered something about two halves. What ever said was mumbled too quickly to actually be heard and understood.

Kikyou was about to tell Riku about this strange turn of events, but decided against it. It was best she keep this to herself, Riku would probably think she was crazy anyway. Kikyou then ran to catch up with everyone before they left with out her.

* * *

Well this ends my period of rewriting chapters one to three. I rewrote a lot in this chapters. It seemed that a lot of sentences didn't make sense or had a lot of my personal thoughts in them which was a little annoying for the reader. When I reread those parts I thought to myself, "WTF was I thinking! I must had drank to much juice or something while writing this chapter. I'm never doing that again.". lol I guess I can still surprise myself. I replaced some words with new ones.

Like one of the "horror" words in it to "angst" and "butt" to "hips" because it sounded better.I also changed "light and darkness" into"two halves" because light and darkness are the same halves of, well I'll let you figure that out yourself.

The witch was the one from the non animated and messed with Disney version of Sleepy Hollow. The scene at the end is like the scene in the movie, well I hope it is at least.

I hope that you guys will continue to read this even though I take so long to update this sometimes. It's not like I'm dead, I'm just a Gemini.

Some great music to listen to while reading this chapter and the last one is: Simple and clean(Japanese and English version) Gundam Wing opening:Just Communication, that song from the anime X Secret Sorrow, land Destai from Kingdom Hearts (I think), From the game Legend of Dragoon : If you still Believe, My Will and Fukai Mori, and Eyes on me from. I don't know where to download these songs(Be cause I forgot where I downloaded them.) so hopefully you have the CD or something. And yes I download music, but I always try to buy the CD.

Well now thats that's over please review.


	4. Murderer

I'm rewriting this chapter as well. It seems that I made a lot of mistakes. Or maybe I'm just bored on a nice Sunday in June. Anyway, it would be nice if you all reviewed. I know this isn't the normal stuff that most of you read, but I don't do normal. I'm continually looking for the abnormal, plots that make sense and that no one has thought of yet.

But enough about me, we should get to other things.

Oh and about what Scar said: Well he could have meant that Ansem and him knew Kikyou's father, or that Kikyou's father once had the jewel, or that Kikyou's father works for him. So don't take it the wrong way. Ansem isn't Kikyou's father. Or is he... I wouldn't rule out that possibility. Since I don't even know whats going to happen. So we'll both have to wait until the last chapter, won't we? Or Scar could have meant that the jewel is Kikyou's father...But that would just be weird... Plus, he might not have any part in this story at all. Oh well lets start the chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own Kikyou from Inuyasha or Riku from Kingdom Hearts. But does wishing I do count?

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

Chapter 4: Murderer

* * *

A camera flash illuminated the apartment of a Miss Susy B. Ant. The flash illuminated the Reapers investigating and looking for evidence in her apartment and the bloody corpse. The victim was a young woman with dark hair that seemed to be in bad health, which was why the blood patterns and the position of the body seemed to say that she didn't give much of a struggle.

"Heh, wonder how many of us told our mama that when we grew up we were going to be a "Reaper crime investigator"."said Pocahontas. She frowned from her own joke and lifted some of her black hair away from her eyes.

"Ha ha very funny Pocahontas. Your jokes are killing me."said Li by walking out of the apartments small kitchen. He shook his head from left to right to mean that he didn't find anything. Who ever did this had been good, too good. Li took off the plastic white gloves he had been wearing and put them into his pocket, he digged into his other pocket in his navy blue uniform and put on the white uniform gloves that was part of his navy blue uniform that all Reapers, incept Riku because he was a "rule breaker" wore.

Riku stood up from his position on the right of the victims body. Another murder. Not like they didn't happen everyday. But still, why couldn't people leave the violence to the Heartless?

"So what do you think happened? A jealous boyfriend, a drug deal gone wrong, or a botched robbery?"asked a Reaper on Riku's right. Riku frowned and turned over the victims left arm. On the arm words were cut in to the skin.

Cut clearly into the victims skin were the words "Kikyou".

* * *

"Achoo! Doesn't Riku ever clean this place! Or maybe he is talking about me, he better not be!"said Kikyou out loud to herself after she sneezed, talking to herself to keep her company.. She had been cleaning since morning, after she thought she saw a dust bunny hiss at her and crawl underneath the couch while cooking breakfast. She was currently looking for a duster in Riku's closet, since she couldn't find one in the other rooms.

"Why is it that every man on the face of the earth and the universe keeps a dirty house? Riku, at least you don't have any playboy posters in here." She had found some playboy magazines underneath the bed and from then on stayed clear of it.

"Riku you-Ah"yelled Kikyou. Her hand had slipped while grabbing a box and she fell on the floor. She rubbed her bottom and then she looked down at the cardboard box in her lap and stood up. It had no marking on it and it was loosely taped, indicating that someone looked inside it from time to time. It had a thin layer of dust on it, meaning that the owner of it didn't look into it much anymore.

Kikyou hesitated before opening it, it wasn't hers after all. And even if they were living together it didn't mean she had to pry into his life. But the box might contain more cleaning supplies, or maybe she was just trying to justify her actions. But she had a certain right, it was just a box after all.

Regaining her courage, she started to lift the left flap of the box as she heard Riku opening the door in the living room. She quickly put the box where she found it and stood up and walked out of his room. Just in time to see Riku stepping through the door.

"Welcome home."said Kikyou with a small bow to hide her nervousness from almost being caught looking at whatever was in that box. It wasn't like she considered it to be her home too, she thought it was more like a prison. It was just that in her family there was a tradition to say "Welcome home" to whoever stepped through the door of the house. Plus she still hadn't forgiven him for what he said about her family. It was now two days and one night including the night she was dragged into this world that she had been there.

Riku looked at her, she was covered in dust. He put a hand to his forehead. If this was what it was like to have kids, he was glad he didn't have any. Kikyou looked down at herself and then attempted to brush the dust off of her dress, making it go into the air. Riku backed away from her so he wouldn't get any dust on his coat, while Kikyou glared.

"Why are you backing away? You act like your afraid of dust, when you live in it!" Kikyou shouted at him angrily. Everything about him made her angry. He brought out the worst in her. She then stomped off toward the bathroom to get the rest of the dust off her dress. Riku sighed and sat on the couch. He liked her when she was sad and emotionless not when she was annoying like she was now.

"Kikyou we need to talk..."

"About what?"asked Kikyou as she stepped out of the bathroom. 'Oh no this is one of those sad talks. Like when your parents are getting divorced, or someone died, or your boyfriend is leaving you for someone that looks like you. Wait-Riku is not my boyfriend!' thought Kikyou to herself, surprised that such thoughts would fill her head. It must be all this time living together, it was starting to feel like a marriage. Kikyou sat next to Riku and a uneasy silence pasted between them. Riku looked at her and said:

"Kikyou are you a murderer?" Riku looked at her as Kikyou went into shock. She shook herself out of it.

"What! Is this a joke? Because its not funny." Kikyou exclaimed.

"It's not a joke. I'm being serious Kikyou, as serious as a women being murdered."

Kikyou looked at him then broke out laughing as she stood up.

"You're just trying to trick me. I know that I'm really stuck in another world, but me a murderer?" "Dammit Kikyou, I'm serious! Can't you be serious for one minute?"yelled Riku at her. The stress of the past few days and today was really getting to him.

He stood up and Kikyou noticed that he easily towered over her. Kikyou walked away from him and over to the kitchen counter. Something had happened, and it felt like that something had to do with her.

"So a murder happened...And it has something to do with me. Riku...tell me everything."said Kikyou. She frowned when Riku sighed for the third time and told her.

"So my name was found on the victim. There has to be over a hundred Kikyous' in this city."said Kikyou while Riku nodded at her words. "Then why are you pointing to me?"

"Because you're currently the one Kikyou we have and a lot of strange things have happened since you've been here. You're lucky we don't have any evidence besides the victims arm and that Frollo says that you still might not be involved." Riku replied.

"But you think I did it don't you? I haven't killed anything! I can barely kill those creatures outside, how could I kill another human being? And I've been here this whole time."

"Yes, you have. But how do I know what you do when I'm not here. You could have-"Riku was interrupted by Kikyou.

"Could have what? Went out and killed someone? Over what? I don't even know my way around! I can't believe you! You know what, Fuck you and Frollo you can both rot in hell for all I care!"yelled Kikyou at him, hurt that he would think something like that, but unsure why she was affected by his words. She stood up and before Riku could stop her ran out of his apartment.

"Great now how am I going to find her? She could get hurt, even with her bow and arrows. And Why do I care? Shes the suspect, but still...Kikyou..."said Riku to himself. Once again his conscience and himself argued. In the end his good side won two to three. Kikyou was the only link he had to finding Ansem. And...Well he could think about the other reason later.

'Okay where would she go? She doesn't really know her way around and the only other places she's been to is here, the station, and-' Riku cut off his thoughts as he thought of the answer.

"Of course, the well."

* * *

Kikyou stood facing the bone eaters well. It was identical to the one at home incept it was full of half buried bones. She climbed on top of the well and sat down on the edge, then she turned around so that she was facing the ledge in front of her and jumped down into it. She landed on her feet and stood up and looked up at the dark moonless cloudy sky. A rain drop landed on her forehead and it started to rain.

'Just like that night...'thought Kikyou. Thinking of the night she had first came there from her world. Everything had been turned upside down after that. She could no longer find a way back to her own world. And even her out look at life had changed. Stuck with Riku, who already was probably getting ready to throw her in prison, that strange person Ansem who she had yet to meet hunting her, and then the jewel coming out of her and giving a pair of bow and arrows. And now Kikyou was homesick, mentally lost, and hurt even if she don't know why.

Kikyou looked up at the sky and narrowed her eyes and shouted at it. "I used to think that the worse thing in the world was living forever as the priestess for my shrine, protecting and taking care of my mother, having to hold everything inside! Now I know that thats all I want, even if it means that I have to stay at the shrine tell my death!" Kikyou stopped shouting and wiped off the rain water off her face. Using the sky as a emotional outlet had helped, but not much.

Kikyou stood up and started climbed out of the well. As she was climbing over the edge, she stopped and saw a shadow at the base of the well. The shadow grew until it was standing up 5ft tall. Two pairs of amber eyes appeared on its head and a clawed arm pushed her back into the well.

Kikyou landed hard on her side on the floor of the well. She didn't stand up but looked up at the mouth of the well.10 pairs of eyes stared back at her. Kikyou backed up by still sitting until her back was up against the wall and reached behind her for her bow.

"Riku, I hate to say this, figuring how you are a bastard. But where the hell are you."whispered Kikyou to herself as the Heartless crawled down into the well.

* * *

'What-I could of sworn that I heard Kikyou... I don't have time for this!'thought Riku as he ran down the strangely quite streets. He started to run when he saw the open iron gate of the pack, blocking the entrance to the park.

Riku slipped past the half opened and locked gate and walked down the path that lead to the clearing with the well that Kikyou came through.

Riku at first noticed nothing until a arrow flew out of the well and landed at his feet and a scream was heard coming out of the well.

"Get off of me you you somethings! Where the hell are these things coming from?"yelled Kikyou.

'And that would be Kikyou.' Thought Riku with a slight smirk on his face as he jogged over and looked down into the well.

Kikyou pushed a Heartless away from her face as the others tried to climb on her and maul her. She looked up after shooting a arrow into one of them and saw Riku.

"What are you doing just standing there? What do I have to do? Give you an invitation? Help me!"yelled Kikyou.

"Well I think you should learn to help yourself." Riku said, a hint of humor crawling into his voice. He turned around and leaned against the ledge.

"You bastard." Kikyou yelled at his reply. She hissed out in pain when a heartless scratched her across her arm. She pointed a arrow at Riku and let it fly, It sailed past his head. He turned around and glared at her.

"Oops, I missed. Damn thats the first time I have too."

"Kikyou!"

"Well unless you want a arrow through your empty head, help me out of this well!" Kikyou yelled up at Riku. He sighed and rolled his eyes at her and then leaned over and stuck a hand out to help her out. Kikyou jumped up and stepped on several of the heartless's heads and jumped up to grab his hand. Kikyou's finger tips brushed past his as she attempted to grab a hold of his hand, when a heartless scratched her leg.

"Mother fucker, I just had those repaired. You sonuvabitch!" cursed Kikyou as she used one hand to put a arrow through its head. She grabbed Riku's hand and he pulled her out of the well. She landed on top of him as a blast of power came out of the well.

"I didn't know priestess's' cussed."joked Riku. Kikyou frowned.

"They don't. And how did you know I'm a priestess."

"Well by your little biography about yourself the day before yesterday." Kikyou placed her hands on his chest to balance herself by she stood up. Riku sat up and dusted off his coat.

Kikyou looked over at the well and tapped Riku on the shoulder by he was looking down to see if he had missed a spot on his coat.

"What!"asked Riku. He was annoyed by her continuing to tap his shoulder.

"Um...R...Riku I think you should look at this..."said Kikyou as Riku looked up to see a giant shadow heartless.

"What, they grow that big. Wow."

"Riku, this is no time to admire him! Shouldn't we do something. Its standing right in front of us in front of the well. So do something!"

"Me? Why me? You're the priestess here!"

"You're suppose to be the hero! You're the Reaper here!" Kikyou yelled at him.

"Well I guess since you're the weak women in this story, I'll take care of it." Riku replied.

"Oh no you don't! Were a team! And I am NOT weak" Kikyou said.

"A team? Yeah right. I need you as much as I need a hangover!"

"You know what, no wonder you live alone your a bastard."

"And that would make you a bitch."

"What did you just say? Fine then, take out your sword and lets duel!"

"Arrows against a sword? That hardly seems fair." "For you it doesn't. What are you afraid of? Losing to a girl?"

"No, winning and seriously injuring you."

"So that means you are afraid of something."

"No I'm n-"started Riku until he was cut off by the heartless attacking them. The heartless reached out a clawed hand to smack them with and Riku and Kikyou barely missed it by jumping back.

Kikyou stood back and tried to figure out a weak point by Riku attacked. She watched as all his attacks seemed to have no affect. Kikyou sighed and picked up her bow. She aimed at one of the heartless's eyes and watched as it slowly melted.

"What I was winning!"

"Yeah right. All you had to do was jump up and destroy one of its eyes."said Kikyou.

"Well not all of us have a bow and arrows."

"Then use magic! God, Don't be such a sore loser. You-" At that moment it regenerated. Kikyou grabbed Riku's arm and took off running. Riku broke away from her and stopped.

"What the hell are you doing? Do you want to be killed?"asked Kikyou.

"I haven't ever run from a fight and I'm not starting now!"

Kikyou smacked her head and looked up at the creature and raised her bow. 'Hitting it in the eye won't do any good it would just regenerate. But maybe the reason is because its not that big at all. It's all an illusion!'

Kikyou used a thunder spell. She aimed it at his head and told Riku to use a similar spell for the rest of him. By attacking all of him at once it prevents it from regenerating and water conducts electricity. The heartless let out a roar and then melted completely away, never to reappear. Kikyou sank down to her knees. It took a lot out of her and she still didn't fully understand how to use magic. She needed a lot more practice.

After the heartless was dead Riku and Kikyou started walking home. As they came upon the park gate Riku turned toward Kikyou.

"Well thanks for the help I guess." Riku said as her turned around and shrugged his shoulders.

"Is that a apology?"asked Kikyou. She stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. She was still hurt that he thought that she was a murderer. And she was also secretly hurt that he didn't trust her...

Riku sighed. "Yes, I guess it is. You can't be a murderer because you barely know how to use magic and in order for you to have killed that women you would have had to use a much more powerful magic then the one you used to night.. Your name and how she died were all caused by someone with a higher level of magic."

Kikyou looked down at the ground. "So you're not sorry, but you're sorry for me being weak..."

"That's not it at all!" Kikyou's head shot up at his words. She noticed that he had turned around and was now standing in front of her.

"I...I guess if I hadn't accused you...you wouldn't have almost gotten killed. Plus whoever is the real killer of that women could still be out there, and he could be after you..."

"So you are worried about me."

"Don't get your hopes up.,"said Riku."I'm not. I'm just worried about you because you're my responsibility. And Frollo would have my head if something happened to you, since you are a kidnapped victim that were currently trying to figure out what to do with. And I guess...If I let another person down..." Though he said the last part more to himself then to Kikyou.

Kikyou looked up at him and into his eyes. "You won't let me down...Riku..." She reached out and embraced him. "Apology accepted."

"Whatever," Riku grabbed her arms and pushed her away from him."I guess I do owe you for helping me even if I didn't need your help. And you should know your way around the city, so tomorrow night...I'll take you out to dinner or something."

"Really?"said Kikyou. It was the first nice thing he had said or done for her.

Riku sighed. "Yes, really." Kikyou smiled and pulled away from him and then clapped her hands.

"I guess you aren't really made out of stone after all. Thanks Riku!"

"Don't get all emotional on me all of a sudden. Its not like were going to see King Mickey or something." Riku turned and started walking toward the park gate when Kikyou stopped him with a question.

"Okay, I won't get emotional, but who's King Mickey?" Riku sighed and put a hand to his forehead by Kikyou turned her head to the side in confusion.

* * *

Well this chapter had more humor then action or suspense. No matter how I tried to rewrite it it still came out like this because of my lack and unwillingness for new ideas. So very few things were changed. Only some spelling and the "I couldn't kill a fly" thing. Which is funny if you think about all the things Kikyou CAN kill.

Any way, here's the original ending funny side note:

Well this chapter had more humor then action or suspense. In the next chapter Kikyou and Riku go out on a date.

Riku: WHAT DO YOU MEAN WERE GOING ON A DATE!

Kikyou: Well I think it will do you good. Your more emotionless then me.

Jazz7: Well I have to go, but please review.


	5. A date with death

Hi, no reviews agian. *sigh* Oh well, I won't give up! Even if no one reads or reviews this. Hopefully someone does review (and reads this) on this chapter.  
  
Disclamer: Why do you bother me with the disclamer? Like if I owned them you would not be reading this.  
  
Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker  
  
Chapter 5: A date with death  
  
~  
  
A dream becomes a dream.  
  
A thought becomes a thought.  
  
A word becomes a word.  
  
A person becomes person.  
  
A life becomes life.  
  
But what does death become?  
  
~  
  
"Inuyasha!!"   
  
The cry was loud enough to break anyones ear drums, yet it was also full of pain.   
  
Kikyou looked around. Wherever she had ended up this time she could tell that it was back in time. Maybe back in ancient Japan. T"he how did I get here?" question would have to wait untill later, at least untill she found Riku. Or a way back... But right now she was in the middle of a burning village and people needed her help.  
  
With a determained face Kikyou started running, trying to find someone to help, someone that wasn't already dead. Like the burned bodies that she had saw or pasted. Men, woman, children all of them were victims of the fire. Kikyou stoped as she entered a shrine.   
  
"I...I know this place."said Kikyou to herself. She looked at the stone paths and tried to think which one to take. She closed her eyes and pointed a finger in front of her. She turned to the left then the right untill she felt a path that she should take. She chose on to her right and started to walk in that direction. As she saw the stairs leading somewhere she saw soliders dead bodies on the stairs. Their blood makeing a red carpet effect on the ancient stone steps. They looked like they were protectioning something, from the way that they all had there weapons still in there hand and that they were slashed not burned.  
  
Kikyou slowly started the climb and was halfway to the top, when a hand reached out and grabed her ankle. She looked down to see that a dieing solider had grabed her ankle. It let go of her and left a bloody hand print in her stockings.  
  
"Must....p..pro...tect...the...je..jewel...please...you...must..."his words died away as he slowly died. Kikyou said a prayed for him then continued on her way, untill she got to the top and could see a ancient tree.  
  
A white haired man with dog ears on his head, had in his hand what see could see as the jewel that had come out of her. He was trying to walk away when a voice stopped him.  
  
"Inuyasha!!"  
  
It was the same voice that she had heard before.  
  
A priestess with black hair tied in a ponytail like the one Kikyou herself wore was standing there with a arrow pointed at him. She let the arrow fly and it pinned the white haired man, to a tree as the women sank to the ground from a wound on her chest.  
  
"For such a thing...you would betray me..."she said as she went limp and died. Kikyou ran toward her to see if there was anything she could do, but as soon as she saw it was herself, she put a hand over her mouth and backed up. She stoped when she felt that she had backed up into a person.  
  
She turned around to see the grining skull of death and put up her hands as it raised its blade.(You know the blade that Grim Reapers have.) It cut right through her arms and into herself as the sky rained her blood.  
  
Kikyou sat straight up in Riku's bed. She looked around her and noticed that she was back in Riku's messy room. She sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead.   
  
"I get the feeling that maybe that dream is trying to tell me something. Or maybe I'm just scared of nightmares."she muttered to herself. "Well I can't go back to sleep now, maybe I'll bother Riku. After all he deserves it, after all he's done." She stood up and left the room looking for Riku.  
  
As she walked into the liveing room she noticed that he wasn't sleeping on the couch like usual. She turned toward the small dining room and saw a light on. She smiled to herself as she saw Riku asleep over paper work. She walked over to him and leaned over to see his sleeping face.  
  
"Aw...he looks like a angel when he sleeps, but when he wakes up...Maybe I should let him rest. After all I wouldn't want someone to wake me up if I had been working so hard. Then agian..."said Kikyou to herself. She poked Riku in the ribs to wake him up. Then she tryed shakeing him. But he still wouldn't wake up.  
  
"Riku, wake up. I said wake up, I have to talk to you!"she yelled into his ear. When that didn't work she grabed his arm and pulled it untill she felt something wet on her hands. She let go and looked at her palms.  
  
"Oh..."was all she could manage to say as she saw that they were red. It was blood, and as she looked down she could see it was all over her. Staining everything, even the once sky blue dress she wore, now it was a ugly stain of red. She looked at Riku and noticed that he wasn't even breathing, then she looked down at his arm that she had took a hold of. She pulled back the sleave of his black trench coat to see the words on his arm that she had smered. Cut into his flesh was the words "Kikyou".  
  
Looking back on it now, Kikyou wondered how she could have not noticed that she, Riku, and the hole house was full of blood. She fell to her knees and noticed that the blood on the floor was deeper then the blood on the other parts of the floor.  
  
She looked at Riku's once white hair. Now it was stained into a dirty shade of pink. And Kikyou was to shocked to cry.  
  
"I was the murderer. You were right Riku. You were right. I am a murderer. I killed those people, I killed you, I even killed myself." Kikyou turned her head to the right as she heard someone laughing.  
  
"Do you feel better? Now that you amitted it to yourself, priestess Kikyou? Or do you feel worse?" Kikyou at first saw nothing untill she saw two blood red eyes come out of the shadows.  
  
"Who are you?"said Kikyou.   
  
Kikyou sat straight up in Riku's bed. She looked around and noticed that she was back in Riku's messy room. She sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead.  
  
"I get the feeling that maybe that dream is trying to tell me something. Or maybe I'm just scared of nightmares." she muttered to herself. Kikyou was about to say something else but stoped herself, when she had the feeling of deja vu. She turned to the right and saw that the sun was high in the sky. She had overslept. She crawled out of bed and went into the dining room.   
  
Kikyou sighed when she saw that Riku wasn't there, even if she didn't know why. She had forgotten her dream. Kikyou sat down and looked at the note on the table.  
  
"I'll be back later tonight, then I'll take you somewhere. I haven't forgoten. Also, go groceary shopping. I left the munny in your coat pocket. Don't go crazy and spend it all of it. I know how you woman are, so ONLY spend it on stuff we need." it said. At the bottom it had his name printed.  
  
"Same old Riku. I'm glad to see that your alive." Kikyou said to herself then frowned at her words. Why would she say something like that to herself? Maybe a little sunshine would do her good, and besides, he had left a map.  
  
~  
  
The sun had just set and Pocahontas had got off early thanks to Riku. For once he was in a good mood. Maybe it was the fact that he was going somewhere with Kikyou. No wonder he was asking her about nightclubs. Or maybe it was for the case... After all, Riku wouldn't know a good deed if it slaped him in the face. No wonder Kikyou had slaped him, even if he was trying to help her, he could have done it in another way.  
  
Pocahontas spotted Kikyou in front of her and called out to her. Kikyou turned around as she ran up to her and smiled.   
  
"Kikyou, were you out grocery shoping?"said Pocahontas by pointing to her paper bags.  
  
"Yes, I was. How are you doing? And are you on your break or something?"  
  
"No, I got off early. I'm doing okay. Hey, do you want to come over to my house for a minute, unless you found a dress already for your date with Riku."said Pocahonatas. The younger girl blushed and Pocahonatas laughed.  
  
"No, I haven't found a dress. And its not like were going out on a date, he's just showing me around the city, thats all. But okay lets go to your house."said Kikyou.  
  
Pocahonatas took some of her bags and they walked away in the direction of her house.   
  
"So this is your house..."said Kikyou as she looked around after putting the milk she had bought in her refrigarator. It looked like a tropical rain forest. Plants were every where and the walls were so covered with plants one could hardly see the green walls underneath.  
  
"Yeah it is."said Pocahontas. She led the way to her room. Kikyou passed by a extra room and popped a question.  
  
"Do you live here with someone else?"  
  
"Two other men sometimes." Kikyou decided not to question her. After all, it was none of her buisness what her love life was like.  
  
Kikyou sat down in a chair as Pocahonatas digged around in her closet.   
  
"Finally, I found it! This is perfect for you!" Pocahonatas handed her a dress and before Kikyou could say anything she was out the door with her packages, the dress,black high heels, and a pair of black stockings.  
  
~  
  
"Kikyou?"said Riku as he walked through the door. Usually when he came home she would be right at the door saying something like "Welcome home." or "Welcome back.". Now she was no where in site.  
  
"Riku, I'll be out in a minute!"said Kikyou's voice from the bathroom. Riku leaned agianst the couch with his arms over his chest as he waited. The door nob turned and Kikyou slowly steped out.  
  
"Riku I don't think you'll like it..."  
  
"For god's sake Kikyou just get out of the dan-"Riku was cut off as Kikyou steped out of the bathroom. Kikyou was wearing a short black dress that reached her upper thighs and black high heels. Kikyou looked down and put her right hand on her left arm. The dress also clung to her figure like glue and it also had spaghetti straps instead of sleaves. Kikyou was also for once letting her hair free of the white ribbon she usually wore and was also wearing black high heels and stockings. On her neck was the jewel with a black chain that Pocahontas had gave her.(Its kind of like the same chain of beads that Kagome keeps the Shikon jewel on or the kind that Inuyasha wears, incept its black.)  
  
"I knew you won't like it. Its all Pocahonatas's fault, she gave me this dress in the first place."said Kikyou.   
  
'No wonder...'thought Riku. Kikyou looked up to see Riku not even listening to her but stareing off into space.  
  
"Riku!!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Forget it. Lets just go. Okay?"said Kikyou. Kikyou left before he could tell her that she should wear her trench coat over the dress.   
  
"Damn."said Riku as he ran out the door before someone got the wrong idea about her. Pocahonatas was defentily going to get it when he got back to work the next moring, for leting her wear that dress. No wonder she had two boyfriends.  
  
The pulseing lights and loud rock music was almost to much to bare for Kikyou. Luckly for herself she thought she had already become deaf as soon as she walked through the door. But of course it fit Riku. The place was just like him. Unpredictable and annoying.   
  
'If he stares at me one more time, I'm going to shoot him. Luckly I brought my bow and arrows with me.'thought Kikyou.   
  
Riku turned to Kikyou and said: "Stay here, I have some business to take care of."  
  
'Of course, he does. I thought he was too being to nice.'  
  
"Take your time, then."said Kikyou. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him. When she turned back to him he was gone. Kikyou sighed and pushed herself through the crowd of danceing people as another loud rock song came on. It was a band she knew, which only went prove that there were some differences to this world and her own. Lucky she had learned english or else she wouldn't know what they were saying. It was a song about death...or something about it.  
  
Riku quickly found who he was looking for, of course it would be hard not to find him because of how big and fat Pete was.(You know, that fat dog or whatever he is that is Goofy's enemy or whatever on that Goofy cartoon.)  
  
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Reaper Riku. What can I do for you? Information on a drug deal, a murderer, a theif?"said Pete by blowing cigar smoke in his face. Riku waved it away with one hand. What he wouldn't give to snap his fat neck...  
  
"The second one Pete."  
  
"Well then a murderer it is. What kind, seriel, lover spat one, or sex crimes one?" Riku narrowed his eyes at him and grabed his sword and put it up to his neck as several bodyguards took out their guns and pointed it at him.  
  
"Cut the crap Pete, you know what I'm talking about. But incase your fat basterd self forgot it let me refresh your memory. A murderer, one with a high level of magic and can kill a person with out even touching one, just like one would do with a heartless. Also leaves the words "Kikyou" on their victims arms without useing any sort of blade. Now either your going to give me more crap or you can tell me what you know, either way your going to have another pie hole. Unless you tell me now." Riku's eyes glowed a dangerest shade of green in the dark light of the club as Pete gulped. Pete signeled for his bodyguards to put away their weapons and Riku put away his sword.   
  
Kikyou smiled as she finally spoted a bar. She couldn't drink anything, but she could sit down and rest for awhile untill she spoted Riku. The high heels she was wearing made her feet hurt and she could at least sit down and stay off her feet.  
  
Kikyou was a few feet from the bar when a hand came out of the crowd and grabed her arm. Kikyou half turned around and saw a man she didn't know. He looked half crazy in the pulseing lights. And his eyes constently looked down at her cleavage.  
  
"I'll pay you 100 munny for just one night baby!"he said by griping her arm tighter. Kikyou flinched from his hard grip on his arm and tryed to pull away.  
  
"Hell no! Your crazy!," she said. He griped her arm tighter and tried to drag her away into a dark corner of the club. Kikyou dug her high heels into the floor and held her ground.  
  
"Okay then 10,000 munny and you can do whatever you want baby." Kikyou smiled alcohol on his breath as he pulled in closer to her and tried to kiss her as she put a hand on his chest to push him back. He almost did kiss her if it wasn't for a curved blade that came out of nowhere and was put close to his thoart. It came close to sliting it and a thin trail of blood flowed down the mans neck as he pulled away from her. Kikyou looked behind the man to see a man with long black hair and red eyes that glowed in the shadows holding the blade. He winked at her then frowned at the man that he was holding hostage.  
  
"I beileve that the lady said no. I also believe that if you don't leave now I will slit your thoart before you can even scream. Make your choice."the man with the glowing red eyes said. The man that had tried to drag her away, let go of her arm and quickly left.   
  
Kikyou rubbed her sore arm and looked at the man with red eyes. He put away his blade and looked back at her and smiled.  
  
"Thank you."said Kikyou in a smal voice. She had almost gotten draged away from that man if he hadn't come along.  
  
"Your welcome my lady. Now can I by you a drink."he asked by kissing her hand. Kikyou blushed and followed him as he lead her to the bar. They sat down on the bar stools faceing the crowd and Kikyou looked out of the corner of her eyes to look at him. He had on black gloves, black boots with steel at the edges of them, and black clothes. He noticed her watching him and turned and met her eyes while smileing.  
  
"Well miss-"  
  
"Kikyou."Kikyou cut him off while blushing. "I mean...my names Kikyou." He was so different from Riku with his ruff and cold attitude, this person was open with her and warm.   
  
"Well miss Kikyou, what drink do you want?"  
  
"Water. I'm underage so I can't drink."  
  
He laughed then said: "I knew it. How old are you miss Kikyou."  
  
"Please, just call me Kikyou."said Kikyou. She felt funny about reviling her age.  
  
"Okay Kikyou." he ordered her a glass of water and handed it to her while Kikyou smiled. She spoted someone with white hair and noticed that it was Riku. She smiled as he came closer to where they were.  
  
"Theirs someone I would like you to meet-" Kikyou stoped talking when she noticed that the man that she had been talking to had left. All he left behind was the money and tip for the drink. Kikyou looked up at Riku as he came over and stood in front of her.  
  
"Something wrong?" he asked as he saw the expression on her face.  
  
"Nothing. Incept there was someone I wanted you to meet and then he vanished..."said Kikyou.   
  
"Well lets go, I have all the information I need."said Riku as him and Kikyou left the club. Actually Pete had knew nothing and had gotten a good beating for wasteing his time, so he hadn't gotten any information incept for how many ways you can break a man's arm.(Well he's actually a dog, but man dog whatever.)  
  
~  
  
Riku balnced himself on the ledge on the railing of the bridge over a street in Kingdom Hearts, the city that never sleeps.(I had to use the city name sometime.) The flashing lights and sounds were way down below him and Kikyou, leaveing only the wind and the bright stars of other worlds. He looked up at the full moon as Kikyou looked up at him and asked a question.  
  
"Do you think my sister and mother are walking under the same moon?" Riku looked back at her instead of straight ahead. He was about to say something sarcastic when he remembered how he felt when he found out he was in another world...  
  
"No, I don't think they are."  
  
"Oh..."said Kikyou.  
  
"But maybe they are walking under the same sun. You have to remember the time difference in other worlds."said Riku. Kikyou looked up and smiled at him.  
  
Riku thought of something and stoped walking. Kikyou stoped as well and looked at him.  
  
"Kikyou, did you ever hear about a story of a man who jumped off a mountain to get a wish granted?"  
  
"No, why?"said Kikyou. Riku smiled, his teeth glowing in the moon light.  
  
"Make a wish."he said as he let himself fall back. Kikyou leaned over the stone railing that he had been standing on, and reached out a hand to try to grab him before he fell. But she was to late.  
  
"Riku..."said Kikyou as tears sliped down her cheeks, reflecting off the moon light.  
  
Kikyou's head came up as she heard a voice say: "You didn't make a wish!"  
  
"Riku you basterd!"said Kikyou as she wiped away her tears. She leaned over the railing and saw him standing in some sort of netting under the bridge. He waved at her to jump down. Kikyou took off her high heels and jumped over the railing. She landed on her feet and looked at Riku with a angry expression on her face.  
  
"You scared me half to death! What were you thinking!?"  
  
"I was thinking, you would make a wish!" Riku laughed at her expression and climbed up onto the bridge agian.   
  
"This netting is so that no one will jump or fall to their death from the bridge. Now how about we go for a walk?"said Riku as he gave her a hand with getting back on the bridge.   
  
Kikyou put her high heels back on and hit him upside his head as Riku laughed.  
  
Kikyou looked up at the stars as she sensed something.   
  
'Somethings dieing...'  
  
Kikyou ran in front of Riku and stoped at a the next street. Kikyou almost slipped when her high heels touched the blood on the cement ground of the street. Riku came to a stop besides her as he saw the samething she saw in front of him.  
  
Leaning over the dead body of the same man that had attacked Kikyou in the club, was the same man that had saved her. He leaned over the mans arm and with useing some kind of lightning or thunder magic cut into his arm the words "Kikyou".  
  
Riku took out his sword as Kikyou took out her bow. It was supriseing how the last person you would expect that would be dangerest is dangerest.  
  
"So your the person we've been looking for the whole time, I thought you would be bigger or something, I guess this battle will be too easy."said Riku. The man just smiled and stood up, by takeing out his own weapon.  
  
"Why? Why just help me instead of kill me in the club? Or were you looking for that man that attacked me instead of me?"exclamed Kikyou. She narrowed her eyes at him by he laughed.  
  
"I was looking for you in the first place! Thats why I bothered with the boring easy murders and the name game with their arms, it was sort of like Jeopardy anyway. I can just imagine someone saying "Do you want to pick a vowel?"."  
  
Riku gave him a glare and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for him to revel "his master plan" and then shut up so he could beat him like a punching bag. In his mind going to prison was a luctray for him. What kind of person would play a game with someones life just to get something he wanted? What was the point? Even if he had come knocking for Kikyou, he would have beat him anyway, his beating just came a little later.   
  
"But why do you want me? I didn't even know you past tonight?"asked Kikyou. She was shocked, angry, and sadden at herself and at him for trusting him. He played her like a harp with saveing her life, she hadn't expected for her savoir to be a murder.  
  
"Well I guess because it was fun and because the look you gave me with those puppy dog eyes of yours when I saved you doesn't count, does it? So the really reason was that I was hired by Ansem, for that pretty little jewel you have around your neck and for you, of course. But you already knew this, didn't you? After all it would be pretty hard not to, you were problemly brought here for a perpose just like everything in life. What is must become what it is, so I wonder what your death will become. Oh well, I wasn't paid to think, after all just to kill. And I'll start with the great Reaper himself Riku!!" he said. He was about to cast a spell then stoped, frowned, turned on his heel, and ran away.  
  
"All talk and no action! I hate when they always try to run!"said Riku by running after him. Kikyou stoped him with a arrow that came close to hitting him.  
  
"Wait! We don't have a plan! Its obvious that he's leading us into a trap!"said Kikyou she stoped and looked up into the tall trees all around the street."Or a area with less trees..."  
  
"So." Kikyou had to laugh at how he didn't notice anything but the goal sometimes. He was just like a impatient little kid.  
  
"So, you saw his magic when he wrote my name into that man's arm. He has a strong level of lightning and thunder magic."  
  
"So." Kikyou sighed by he stood there with his arms across his chest, waiting impatiently.  
  
"So, the trees would get in his way by absorbing his magic and burning while falling to the ground, injuring both him and us. Kind of like how they always say you shouldn't stand under a tree in a storm because of the water attracting lightning, and it rained last night."  
  
"Oh, so thats why he ran. He's still a little chicken shit for running away. I think I know where he's headed, there is a big intersection up ahead with zero trees." said Riku. He and Kikyou then took off running.  
  
~  
  
The intersection was only a block away and when they got there they ran into him.  
  
Kikyou, who was in front of Riku, stoped dead in her tracks when lightning came up out of the ground in front of her.  
  
"Your not just going to let me go and get away with it are you? Oh well, this just makes this more fun! The way I figure it, I'll kill the Reaper and take the girl, so be pretty simple. I'll be back in time for the midnight classic movie on channal 8."  
  
"Maybe. And maybe I'll just kill you now and end it, I've never killed anyone but the sooner your off the face of the earth the better."said Kikyou in a icy cold voice she hadn't even known she had.  
  
A shield made of lightning came up around the intersection and the man(I'm getting tired of calling him this, but his name will come at the end.) used a Thundaga spell. Kikyou used a Shell spell on both her and Riku and shoot two arrows at him, one of them managed to hit its target, the other got burned from a lightning shield around him.(Yeah I know Shell wasn't in Kingdom Hearts either, but I didn't want to write by playing the game to get the information that I needed. Plus I can't hold a keyboard and play a video game at the same time!)  
  
Kikyou held back and used Blizzard and Blizzara spells by Riku tried to attack him with his sword.   
  
"Its obvious that I have the upper hand no matter what you do! Its better to just give up."TM(The or that man, since I'm getting tired of saying those words)said by useing a powerfull new spell. It combined the element thunder with darkness createing one powerfull blast of magic.  
  
'Not good not good at all, and its heading striaght for Riku! Of course he would really just attack him, he needs me alive! Well not if he thinks I'm dead!' Kikyou stood in by Riku and shot a arrow at the blast of magic, by letting some hit her so she would be injured. She pretened to be dead a winked at Riku to play along.  
  
"You killed her you bastered! Thats it I'm going to quit playing games and kill you now!"said Riku by pretending to be upset.  
  
"Great, I'm defentily not getting paid for this one! What the hell am I going to tell Ansem now!?"  
  
While the two were fighting and argueing Kikyou crawled up to a firehydrants near TM and shot off the cap makeing water go all over him and everything else in the area around him. He looked to her and Kikyou shot a arrow at him then ran off by Riku distracted him. TM shot off another blast of magic and it slowly followed Kikyou by she ran.  
  
"Great, just what I needed! Oh well at least I got 10:45 on the mile!"said Kikyou to herself. She blew off the remaining hydrants makeing the battle area flood with water.   
  
Kikyou sank to the ground out of energy, forgeting the blast of energy following her.  
  
"Kikyou!"said Riku to Kikyou by blocking a attack. He left Tm to go and stand in the way of the attack that was following her.  
  
"Riku!!"(Do you ever notice how when someones about to get attacked or hit someone says their names or something like that.) Kikyou watched as Riku fell burned to the ground in a puddle of his own blood. Her dream was comeing true, as she watched his wet hair turn a dirty shade of pink and the ground around her become a mixed puddle of blood and water. All it needed to be complete was a question...  
  
"W...who are you?"said Kikyou. Tm looked at her and smiled as he slowly walked toward them. Kikyou panicked and tried to protect Riku instead of herself, but she couldn't even get herself off the ground so she sat on her knees and put Riku's head in her lap with her arms on his chest and head, makeing sure he didn't move at all. So if he took her at least he would think that he was dead and leave him alone.  
  
Tm stoped in front of her and out streached his arm and hand untill it was in front of her face and he was only a few inches in front of her.  
  
"I guess in a way Ansem may just want to torture you and have the jewel, I hate to ruin his fun but you have been quite a bitch."he said.  
  
"What happened to being a gentelman? Or was that all a act? Who are you anyway, just tell me that before I die."said Kikyou while she silently cast a Reflect spell, since she knew what he was going to do.( I know the spell wasn't in Kingdom Hearts, but alot of spells in this won't be in it.)  
  
"Naruku." said Naruku. His red eyes glowed in the darkness and he cast a thunder spell that went over the level of power of a Thundaga spell. Unfortunately for him he didn't count on one thing that Kikyou knew: That water conducts electricity. Naruku foamed at the mouth and convulsed as his body was electrocuted. Kikyou put a hand over her eyes and tryed to close off his screams. She subconsicly put a hand over Riku's eyes as well hopeing he wouldn't wake up and see that she was a murderer after all.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wow, that was like a real suspensefull, horror, murder mystery. Well I bet you guys hadn't thought it was going to be Naruku, did you? Well I don't have any music to tell you to listen to while reading this incept for the music I already told you about. Well I guess some good music to listen to by reading this would be rock music for the action parts and maybe "Come" or some other song I told you about on everything else.   
  
I hope you review, and just to make it interesting if you do review how about telling me who you thought "the man with red eyes" who turned out to be Naruku was. It can be anybody from a video game, anime, manga, a movie, whatever. This way it will be like a contest and the best ideas get put up in the next chapter. And also it will (hopefully) make you review. Since the people who say they have been reading this or reviewed on the second and first chapters I haven't heard of since.  
  
So now press the button that says "write or submit review" and review! 


	6. House of a thousand souls

I'm suprised I finally got around to starting on this chapter. With everything thats been going on and what not, but finally I got somethings done and have time for myself. So I guess that means that I'll finally get around to updateing my stories.(If I'm not too lazy.)   
  
Well I'm not going to complain about reviews or the lack of reviews this time. Well some people did review but on the first and second chapter, so thanks alot charmedone04 and XxStarry-AngelxX! I don't know what you guys mean by please update or please continue, I have updated thats why were on chapter 6. Oh and its alright if you review XxStarry-AngelxX, but you don't have to call me master, Jazz7 will do just fine. I appreciate all your reviews, even if you don't review any of my chapters besides the first one or stop reading. Thank you, without your reviews I wouldn't have made it this far!   
  
Oh and I know no one reviewed the last chapter even if I tried to get them to with that little review contest at the end of the last one, so I'll just tell you who I thought it was, or was thinking of when writeing Naruku in the last chapter.  
  
Well when writeing the last chapter I remembered that I had planed this out, like I do with all my other fanfiction, but I forgot how the villan was suppost to look. I think he was suppost to have black hair like Naruku's, but I can't remember the eye color. I think it was blue or something like that, wait maybe it was pink...or...white...black maybe? Well never mind about the eyes, well I thought I had got the magic wrong but I remembered when I planned out the action scene and it was electricity. Well the action scene was also changed from how I had planed it out. Naruku wasn't suppost to talk to them about the plan insept that he worked for Ansem and he wasn't suppost to have much detail about his character. I had planned to make him one of those one time unknowable characters, that dies and thats it. Also Kikyou wasn't suppost to explain his strategy, and the bridge scene was a little bit different from how I had planned it out. I had planned it out like this: After Riku jumped off and Kikyou found out about his little joke and she jumped off after him, they were suppost to have a "little talk" by still being under the bridge, and then they were walked to where the villan was. Not Kikyou jumps down and Riku jumps up and completely wastes her time by makeing her jump down, and Kikyou wasn't suppost to sense Naruku. Or at least I don't think she was suppost to sense him...aggh why didn't I drink a bottle of water by writeing it so I could remember! Oh, well. Well also, origently Naruku wasn't the villan in that chapter, it was suppost to be a character that I made up(oc) but at the last mintue I couldn't remember the eyes or his name, so I sat thinking for awhile then I thought of the Inuyasha manga that I had let a friend borrow and looked at my Hellsing soundtrack CD with Alucard on the cover. And guess what popped into my head, why not have the villan have red eyes, like most people with red eyes in anime are evil or a little evil, so why not. Then I thought of who it should be, I thought about it for awhile and decided to just write. So after the nightmare part(Which I didn't think of when planning the chapter out.)I finally thought of someone. Since I don't like oc characters in storys(Incept my only fic which has a oc in it.) and I just put a part in the story with characters and setting from Inuyasha, I decided the villan should be Naruku. Number one: he has red eyes. Number two: he's a villan. Number three: I don't like him. I think he's a complete bastered and should die a horrible pain full death. So I won't miss him when he dies. So I wrote him in. But I didn't make him identify himself like the villan did when I planned it out in my mind. So I decided that I would make him do that in the end, like in most crime suspense movies. And trust me I watch alot of those. But the big thing which this is leading up to is that by writeing parts with Naruku in them I was thinking of somebody else! And who was I thinking of? You guess. I'll give you five seconds.  
  
1...  
  
2...  
  
3...  
  
4...  
  
5...   
  
Okay times up! I was thinking of...Vincent Valentine from FF7. Supriseing no? Well I haven't even really played the game, I've been watching one of my family members play it. And I that character just popped up in my mind and wouldn't leave me alone! Thats why when Naruku saved Kikyou in the bar he was acting occ, he was acting to much like a gentleman and not enough like a bastered untill the end. Well I don't really know if Vincent acts like a gentelman so don't get on my case about that! Well other guesses that people who read but not reviewed were promblemly thinking of was him and Alucard, and maybe some other character that I haven't heard of.  
  
Well now lets finally get to the chapter, sorry for takeing up your time. Oh and the mansion in this is the one from the "Haunted Manison" movie with Eddie Murfey, don't worry he's not going to be in it and I haven't seen the movie yet. But I have seen the makeing and I hope I spelled his name right.  
  
Disclamer: Don't you get tired of this? I don't own them. Okay? Let me say it agian if you still don't get it, but slowly this time. I-d-o-n-'t-o-w-n-t-h-e-m. Oh and the lyrics before this chapter isn't mine. It belongs to the good people at anime lyrics.com and the people who translated the song "Sinjitsu no uta" or "Song of truth". And the song isn't mine either.  
  
Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker  
Chapter 6: House of 1000 souls  
  
The crimson-stained sun  
has illiuminated everything; now and the past  
Is what I have imagined within this twilight  
more than my own hands can accomplish?  
  
Please teach me how to live   
a little more vulnerably than I do now  
Won't you taint me just a little?  
That way, even if I get hurt  
and lose everything around me  
this song of truth will flow through my heart  
  
This dispute will prombably go on  
about that which is most precious  
I've become a rebel, I've overlooked things  
Even the gentle smiles of strangers  
  
If eternity knows what manner of darkness   
and when pain will vanish,   
then that way, you shall taint me  
I always looked to yesterday, to the castles in the sky  
when will I be able to follow them?  
This song of truth shall be my guide  
  
If eternity knows what manner of darkness  
and when pain will vanish,  
this song of truth will flow through my heart  
  
Now, please, taint me just a little  
Please, just taint me, only a little  
  
This song of truth shall be my guide

Kikyou woke with a start. She had been dreaming about last night. The night that she finally killed something, no someone. He had a name and maybe even a family. People who missed and loved him.(Yeah right.) It wasn't his fault that he picked the wrong job and boss. To die by a person he didn't even know, and to be killed because of a person she didn't even know. What kind of fate was that?   
  
Turning she could see the sun outside, maybe it was morning, but it could just as easily been in the middle of the day. Who could tell, and was time really that important? What about death, saddness, or love?  
  
Thinking about what happened Kikyou turned to the door expecting to find it open and to see either Riku asleep on the couch or to find that he had left. Instead she found Riku sitting backwards in a chair with his head resting on top of his arms, his arms were also resting on top of the chair.(You know when you turn a chair around and sit in it. He's sitting like that.) Kikyou, noticed that he was asleep and didn't say anything. Looking across the room she could see the other chair with Pocahontas's clothes on them, she had yet to give them back. She let her eyes fall to the jewel resting around her neck. Agianst the light blue fabric of her dress the jewel seemed to appear as a light lavander ball of hope.  
  
'But maybe its destruction. Because of this people were killed,or...maybe its because of me.'thought Kikyou to herself. She shook her head and turned once again toward Riku.  
  
'He looks like a child when he sleeps, but when he's awake he looks...' Kikyou didn't finish the thought as she unconsciously moved closer to him and put her face in front of his.   
  
Riku opened his eyes and narrowed them. "I still think your a little too young for that." Kikyou moved away from him when he spoke and narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Too young for what? I'm not the one haveing dirty thoughts. Have you ever thought that maybe thats the reason why your relationships don't last past one night?"said Kikyou. Kikyou smiled when Riku looked shocked. He turned away from her and his expression turned quickly back to what it once was.  
  
"My love lifes none of your busniess, and what do you know anyway?"  
  
"That your one time girlfriends call ever single day, 10 times a day actually." Kikyou tightened the knot in her ribbon that always kept her hair in a ponytail and looked out the window.  
  
"Its...not like I have a dirty mind or anything. I'm not a pervert...its more that getting close is...scary." Kikyou turned away from a bird that she had been watching fly to Riku, shocked that he actually opened up to her.  
  
"Yes well...everything in life is scary. You just have to give it a chance. Even if...someone says yes or no you'll still be here, you'll still be living. Its more like...Oh I don't know. I've never even been on a date or outside the temple yard besides for school. I guess everything just happens for a reason." Kikyou looked down at her hands in her lap and gave off a faint smile for his sake. Riku sighed and looked away from her for a second.  
  
"Yes I guess it is true that everything happens for a reason, but what if its not a matter of wether the person says yes or not, but if you betray them?"  
  
Kikyou gasped a little from shock and looked over at him. 'Why does that sound and feel so familer!?'  
  
Regaining her composer Kikyou said: "Well I guess you just trust to do whats right."  
  
Riku finally looked back over to her, his eyes turned more colder as he replyed. "I don't know whats right or wrong, no one ever taught me. They say laws are made for the weak and that a law is just a extension of your own conscience. But what if your conscience is the one thats telling you to do something agianst the law, something terrible? Then how do you trust to do whats right?"  
  
Kikyou looked up from her hands to look right into his eyes."Than you do what you have to do. No one ever taught me whats right or wrong either, they taught me to do what needs to be done. I'm not quite as innocent as you think, I have blood on my hands like any evil person too. I maybe too young to understand, but I'm not an adult. And because I'm not, I understand things more clearly than you or they do. You live for the moment, not the day. Don't overlook what you already have."  
  
""Don't overlook what you already have." You can say that with such belief in it because you haven't grown up and seen the world outside your window. Because I'm a adult I see the real world even if I can't see it clearly. I've overlooked things, even the gentle smiles of strangers. I'm not innocent either, and the blood on my hands far out ways yours. I've been both the hunted and the hunter, and I've killed people to young to understand what they were doing wrong, or because they were just in the way. My darkness you can't make dissapear by pretty words, even if they are the truth."  
  
Kikyou looked down at her lap, seeing as she was in a loss for words. Hearing Riku standing up she looked back at him to see him heading toward the front door.  
  
Kikyou jumped out of bed and grabed her shoes and bow and arrows. She reached him just as he was reaching for the door knob.  
  
"Riku, where are you going! I'm sorry if I said something that I shouldn't have." Riku sighed at the sound of her voice.  
  
"I have another case to work on."said Riku, he didn't turn around to look at her as Kikyou asked him a question.  
  
"A case, so soon you-well one just ended last night. Whats this one about?"  
  
"Theres been a disterbence at a well known masion. Someone died there and we still haven't figured out the cause of death. It looked like he died of shock or he was scared to death. Also there were unexplained burn marks found on his body. The owners say that it was because of the sprits that inhabit the house, but I doubt such a thing as ghost exsites. I think it was most likely caused by a human or a very powerfull heartless. So untill this case is solved I'm staying there."said Riku.  
  
"Well than lets go."said Kikyou.  
  
"I'm going alone on this one. Your my responsiblity, and besides your not a Reaper. And if you got hurt Frollo would have my head served to me on a silver plater."  
  
"Is that...the only reason? Because of Frollo and that I'm "your responsiblity"? I can take care of myself!"yelled Kikyou at him.  
  
Riku didn't turn around but said: "I'm more worryed about you getting hurt then what Frollo would say." And with that he turned around, opened the door, and left.  
  
Kikyou stood still for a moment then slamed the door behind him and leaned agianst it.  
  
"Well if he doesn't want me to go, I'll invite myself. I my not know much about magic, and its been years since I've used a bow, but my arrows still never miss."said Kikyou and with that she ran to go get Pocahontas's dress and to ask her a favor.  
  
It took alot longer than it would have going anyway else to get to the mansion, but the good thing about the long trip was that there were less heartless though. After landing the gummiship on the ground, Riku walked up to the iron gates, he opened them and steped in to have a look around the mansions grounds. After 30 minutes of looking around he finally headed for the front door.  
  
Riku looked up at the enormous house, then at the huge, heavy, oak double doors. He reached up a hand to knock on the door, but it opened before he had the chance.   
  
"Master Riku, we've been expecting you."said the figure that appeared behind the door. He was old, in his mid 80's or 70's. He looked like he didn't even have the strength to walk much less pull open two heavy oak doors. From his uniform Riku could see that he was the butler.   
  
Smileing, he beckoned Riku to enter, Riku obayed and looked around the main room. Looking in front of him he could see a long staircase with a red carpetrunner going down it. A large cysrtle chandler loomed over the whole room.  
  
"Master Riku, I'm afraid that our current owners aren't here for the moment and neither is the...rest of the staff.,"said the butler by giving off a slight eeire smile."But your fiance, a miss...Kikyou is here in the room that you will also be staying in."  
  
"You don't have to call me master anything, and what do you mean fiance!'said Riku as he narrowed his eyes by thinking of the one person it could be.  
  
Kikyou had snuck into Riku's gummiship with the help of Pocahontas and Li. After it had landed and Riku was looking away she took the back entrench into the mansion and posed as his fiance, so that the old man would believe it. Now sitting on the bed that was in now her and Riku's room, she thought about what to tell him.  
  
"What should I tell him? Most likely though he'll be too pissed off to hear me out, so maybe I should hide. But if I do that I'll get that nice old butler in trouble..."said Kikyou out loud to herself as she thought of the answer.  
  
Kikyou looked down at the jewel around her neck as it flashed a bright red for a second. She took it off from around her neck to look at it, as it sat in the palm of her hand she could see the reflection of herself and the wall behind her.   
  
Only one thing was wrong, someone else was in the room with her.  
  
The color drained from her face as she stared at the image, looking at it she could tell that only its torso, chest, and head was visable. But its face...was missing. It looked like it was ripped clean off, but you couldn't see the skull underneath. It reached out and grabed her easily by the arm since, it was standing right next to her besides the bed.  
  
Kikyou winced as it felt like her skin was burning, some of its blood from its face droped onto her shoulder and Kikyou glanced at it. The rest of the being was seethrough but had no color but the blood was a blood red.  
  
As its hand slowly reached out for the jewel, Kikyou weighed out her options.  
  
'One: I could just give it to him so it can go away. Two: I could scream like a woman in a bad horror movie or at least try to scream like that and hope that someone hears me. Since I doubt a arrows going to stop whatever this thing is!'  
  
Kikyou chose option number two and started to scream.   
  
The ghost or whatever it was droped slowly through the floor and was gone as Riku and the butler came running in.  
  
"I'm telling you the truth!! I know what I saw, god Riku why can't you believe me!!"  
  
"Because I have no reason to and it sounds like something a crazy idoit would say! Now would you shut the hell up for one minute!"  
  
Kikyou glared at Riku as he put a hand on his head like he had a migran. The butler walked in with a ice pack to put on her arm and Kikyou turned to glare at him too, only to see that he was smileing.  
  
"Now tell me agian, slowly this time."  
  
Kikyou sighed and did as Riku said. "I told you, I was sitting right here when this...thing, came out of nowhere grabed my arm and tryed to reach for the jewel!"   
  
Riku turned around to look at her and said: "Nope, it still sounds crazy."  
  
Kikyou put a angry frown on her face and stood up to point at her left arm, where the thing had grabed her. "Well then how do you explain this, this burned hand print on my arm is exzactly where that thing grabed me! And the blood left on my shoulder!"  
  
"Well I don't know how that happened, it could have happened last night when we were fighting with Naruku, or you could have done that to yourself to fool me into some little joke."said Riku.  
  
"Aggh, your still upset about last night! Its not my fault that you decied to play hero and try to save me, thats just the way things happened! And its also not my fault that you had to use 12 bottles of shampoo just to get the blood out of your hair!,"said Kikyou. She turned to the still smileing butler,"At least he believes me!"  
  
The butler shook his head and put the ice pack in a near by bowl that he had brought up. "No and yes. Alot of unexplained things happen in our house, but don't worry you'll understand soon. It was problemly not a ghost but another illusion made by your mind, I'm sad to say that now days there is no more true ghost in the world. Just things made up by greedy humans to get them to go to there hotels. But who knows, theres alot of unexplained things in this world that can't be explained by science." And with that the butler headed out of the room after bandageing Kikyou's arm.  
  
"Well I don't know if it was a ghost or not, but I do know that somethings in this house, I can feel it!"said Kikyou. She turned to look out of the window, after pulling away the heavy red velvet curtains, she saw the setting sun.  
  
Seeing Kikyou's suprised expression Riku explained: "The time between dimensions change depending on which one your in."  
  
"Oh you mean that were in a dimension inside of a dimension? Now I'm confused, its just like that show about those people that go to different dimensions of earth, incept more confuseing! Well at least this explains why when your on a...what do you call them...a gummiship, that you see that space like stuff outside the ship."  
  
Riku nodded his head and looked toward the now closed door. "How did you sneak on the ship anyway?"  
  
"Oh, that was easy! After returning Pocahontas's dress, stockings, and shoes, I asked both her and Li if they could help me get on the gummiship "Darkness" that you were useing to get to the mansion. They distracted you while I sneaked onto the cargo hold and hide behind some boxs tell you landed the ship agian. Then when it landed and you were looking the other way, I got out of the ship hide behind some trees untill you were looking away from where I was hideing. Then I climbed over the iron gate so I wouldn't make any noise going through it, and I walked around to the back of the house to use the back entrench. Once inside I explained to the butler that I was your fiance and I hide my hands behind my back so he wouldn't notice that I didn't have a ring. But if he asked I would say that I lost it or that your ingagement present was the jewel around my neck, then I let him take me to the room we are now so I could wait for you!" Kikyou looked over her shoulder at him after she explained.  
  
"What a clever plan. I'm suprised you managed to pull it off without me noticeing it."said Riku.  
  
"Well I do play alot of videogames if I have the chance, expesily if my cousin Sota comes over, so I guess I picked up a few things by playing "Metal Gear Solid" a few times."  
  
Kikyou looked back toward the window by Riku turned to to look at her. He walked over to stand behind her and put a hand on her injured arm. Kikyou jumped at the touch, but then got quickly use to it and put her hand over his gloved one.  
  
"sigh I don't know why I'm saying this, but I have a feeling that you my be right. I can also feel that somethings going on in this house, I just don't know what."said Riku.  
  
"Well,"said Kikyou by turing around to look at him.,"lets ask the butler. He seems to know alot about this house and things concering it."  
  
Riku nodded and they both turned to exit the room.  
  
A shattering sound, like the breaking of rock or glass was heard as Riku and Kikyou stepped toward the door. Opening it they could see that a stone statue outside their door was turned over and layed broken into pieces on the floor.   
  
Riku bended down to inspect it, then frowned and stood up. "Theres no way it could just fall over by itself. It would take the strength of 2 to 5 strong men just to lift it, much less break it."  
  
Kikyou frowned and looked down the stairs as the jewel glowed a bright red agian. "Lets...hurry and find that butler. Something werid going on around here, and I don't want to stay here any longer then we should. If we can't find him we can leave and stay in the gummiship untill moring or better yet come back in the moring."  
  
Riku put a hand on his sword and started walking slowly down the stairs as Kikyou followed him with her bow in front of her.  
  
When they reached the bottom of the staircase and Riku was halfway under the chandler, Kikyou looked up at it as she felt that something was going to happen. As she looked up the chain holding the chandler snaped and it started to fall. Kikyou reached out and grabed the end of Riku's coat to drag him back to her and they both fell to the ground on the stairs as the chandaler broke into a million of glitering pieces.  
  
When the dust settled and the pieces of the chandaler stoped raining on them, Riku grined and sat up to look at Kikyou. "Well I guess this makes use even."  
  
Kikyou just turned pale and stared at the broken chandaler and knoded her head. He was right now they were even, he had saved her life and she had saved his. She looked down at the jewel to notice that it was faintly glowing red.  
  
'Everytime something bads happens or is going to happen, the jewel glows red, like when I saw that thing-no-that ghost.'thought Kikyou. "Riku, I think we should be more carefull, something or someone defintly doesn't want us to be here."  
  
Riku knoded and stood up by dusting off his coat. "I think your right, Kikyou. Okay heres the plan: We get that butler and whoever else is here and get the hell out of here!"   
  
Kikyou stood up and they both headed for the kitchen.  
  
"Ow."exclamied Riku as he bumped into a chair. Kikyou laughed and felt around for the light switch. After finding it the dinning room fluded with light.   
  
In the middle of the room was a long table with several chairs aranged around it and white carpet under the table. The rest of the flooring was hard wood. Riku frowned and looked around by Kikyou stepped toward the door on the left of the room, leading to the kitchen.  
  
Upon stepping into the room and turning on the light switch Kikyou found the room empty.   
  
"Riku he's not here!"  
  
Riku looked up from looking at a family portrat of a old man and a young women with two children with them. He turned toward the open kitchen doorway where Kikyou was standing in the room with her back to him. The door slamed and locked in his face once he reached it. He tryed the door knob in vain as he found it locked like he suspected.  
  
"Riku!"  
  
"I'm right here. Listen, try to find a way out of the room and I'll find a way to you."said Riku as he lended agianst the door as Kikyou did the same.  
  
"Wouldn't it be...better for me to stay right here or for you or me to blast down the door with magic?"asked Kikyou.  
  
Riku sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "I can't do that Kikyou. If I did that I would risk a chance of burning down this house or...hurting you. Even if I am better than you or anyone else for that matter in magic, and you would risk the same chance. Expesily since your more inexperenced at magic."  
  
"And what about me...staying here?"  
  
Riku sighed and looked over to the portrat or the family agian, as his voice turned ice cold. "Someone or something, doesn't want us around, just like you said. If you stay in a place to long and who or whatever finds you, and I'm not there-"  
  
Kikyou smiled than interupted him. "I know what your going to say, and I know what the stakes are in a game like this. I can take care of myself, but your right I shouldn't stay in a place too long, you can't kill whats already dead. Good luck...Riku, I hope I'll see you agian." And with that Riku heard Kikyou running off as he sighed to himself.  
  
"Good luck...Kikyou, I hope so too."he wispered more to himself than to Kikyou, and then he left also.  
  
"sigh This is quite a bother, I can't see the outcome at all. How about you Scar?"asked Ansem as he lowered his eyes to his lion compainon at his side.   
  
"Hmm, I can't see it either. To bad you can't control souls and heartless. We'll just have to count on that girls skill and the jewel, if we want it to fall into our hands and not their's. Too bad its not broken up into fragments."said Scar by resting his head on his paws.  
  
"Well if that happened the samething would happen like last time. Now that would be boring now wouldn't it?"  
  
"Yes very boring indeed!"said Scar as both him and Ansem started to laugh, which sent sevaeral near by heartless to turn there head around to look.  
  
After finding a door in the kitchen she found herself in a long hallway with several stainglass windows and paintings, all of them showing what seemed like scenes from the family that lives there, or use to, lives. The ones that were more fasanting and the ones that appeared more often were the paintings or stainglass's(Not a word.) of death.   
  
Kikyou stopped to look at one when she found that it looked familer.   
  
In the stainglass, it showed a man with out a face.  
  
Kikyou frowned and continued on untill see reached a white wooden door covered with green vines, just like the rest of the wall around it. Kikyou opened slowly opened the door, since she didn't know what waited on the otherside, and stepped into the room.  
  
She gasped in suprise as she looked around. The ceiling was a dome shaped and had pictures of all of the know kinds of flowers in the world, the flooring was full of several kinds of flowers and the walls were stone with vines crawling one it and had no windows, but a strange kind of white light came from the ceiling. As Kikyou looked at the middle of the room she could see a stone cricle with the same pattern as the ceiling. As she looked she saw a woman in a dark white and navy blue old fasion dress. She had dark brown hair pinned up on her head and she looked paler than Kikyou herself. She was standing in the middle of the stone circle with her back to her. Looking closely one could see her holding a wilting red rose.   
  
"Umm, hello miss. We shouldn't be here! Do you know a way out? We could go togather, after we find the rest of the people in this building and my friend Riku."asked Kikyou as she stepped closer to her.  
  
The woman turned around and her ice blue eyes stared into Kikyou's deep brown ones as she said: "Your right, you shouldn't be here."  
  
After heading back to the main room Riku found a hallway to the left, oppisite the door that lead to the dinning room. After walking down a endless number of twist and turns, he ended up in another hallway, but this time with backwards images of stainglass.  
  
Riku stopped at one with a woman with her hands outstreghed in front of her.   
  
"It seems like this stainglass is trying to tell me something..."Riku mumbled to himself. He looked at the bright yellow-ogrene background, he saw that he could see through it. Through the stainglass he could see the open back door of the kitchen.  
  
"So this hallway conecets with that one. And since this would be the fastest way..." Riku didn't finish the sentence as he backed up and jumped through the window. After standing up and brushing the glass from his coat he walked down the hallway untill he came to the same door that Kikyou had gone through. Opening it he saw her with her back toward him.  
  
"Kikyou."  
  
"Riku, okay now lets get out of here!"said Kikyou by turning toward the woman in front of her.   
  
Riku was about to ask who she was when the woman answered his question before he had the chance.  
  
"I am the the owner of this house, I mean me and my husbend are...things use to be...better. He was so kind and nice to me and I had known him since we were little, and before we knew it our feelings had turned to love. This house," she said by waveing her hand toward the door to signify the house.,"was a wedding present for me. A year later we had a son, than a daughter. But the house still seemed empty with all the rooms in it. This house has 700-900 rooms all of them near empty or never used, but my husbend built it so that we would have the most biggest and beautifull house in this world, and as a moument to our love. But seeing as it was empty we invited family members and friends over to live in it. And as a result this house echoed the laughter, happiness, and love."  
  
"Well, that is a touching story, but I don't see much of the so called "laughter, happiness, and love" now. I don't even see any people! You claim that there are 700-900 rooms, so there should be 700-900 people, but I don't see one damn person besides ourselves! So where the hell are they?"asked Riku.  
  
The woman stared at him than began to laugh. "You humans are so funny! 700-900 people? A thousand rest in this house! And we are here, our souls that is." As soon as she said that she went transparent. Kikyou gasped and took a step back by Riku narrowed his eyes.  
  
"Y...your one of them! Okay thats it were leaveing right now!"exclaimed Kikyou. She ran over to the opened door and it slamed in her face. She turned around to glare at the ghost as it sadly smiled.  
  
"I'm afraid I can't let you leave. Your more protected in these walls then outside them. Only in my domain, this garden, can I protect you from the other 999 souls that wish to be human agian."  
  
"What are they going to posses our bodies or something?"asked Riku.  
  
"No, what they want is the jewel that hangs around that girls neck. I'm afraid one of them, my son already tryed to steal it from you, I'm sorry if he hurt you, but you know how boys are."  
  
"You mean that was your son! How did-"  
  
"My husbend did that, I'm afraid that he's no longer himself...,"she said by interupting Kikyou.,"Thats why I need you. I don't wish to remain here by the jewels help, I don't want it. Even if you are slowly starting to purify it, it still will remain evil. What was born in blood and darkness can not become pure. That jewel will bring about this whole worlds destuction if someone foolish wishes on it. The wish to become human even when your time has pasted is foolish in the least, but if wished on when the jewel is not even near purifcation would destory the owner, or worse! My husbend became mad when Ansem thought that it would be a fine experiment to change a human into a heartless, but without useing a heartless. It...changed half of the members of this house hold into madmen, they went on a rampage, attacking and killing anyone in site. The walls echoed the screams and were painted in blood. The leader of the massacer was my husbend himself, he was the first one to change, and fight as he could he couldn't fight it. He infected the others and they started killing the other people that weren't infected and killing themselfs. I gathered the ones that remained, includeing my children, and ran here where my gardens stone walls and no windows could protect us. But my husbend used his now evil power and gained entrench, there he attacked my son first and ripped off his face than killed him, than my daughter, and the ones that he brought with him killed the others around me, then...he killed me. After that the ones infected killed themselfs and this house became a graveyard. But our souls did not rest in peace, because of the events that happened and because of Ansems spell, our hearts-no-our souls were traped in this house. Now our angry spirts lash out at others that come into these walls, thats why that man was killed. Senseing the jewel, my husbend has put up traps and is searching for you! Since you are human you can defet him, he's waiting for you on the top floor of this house. Please, bring our souls to rest once more and put this house to rest!"  
  
"Why?"asked Riku sarcasticly.  
  
"Riku, how can you be so heartless didn't you just hear what she just said? Plus we can't leave this house anyway, we'll do it! We will put your souls to rest!"said Kikyou, by Riku sighed.  
  
"Thank you, after a thousand years I can finally rest. I wish you luck..."And with that the rose in the womans hands wilted and she disapeared by the once in bloom flowers and greenery wilted as well.  
  
"I hope you know what your doing."said Riku as they walked toward the door.  
  
"I do."  
  
The top floor wasn't to hard to find, it was getting through the top floor that was the hard part. It was pitch black and one could hardly see their hand in front of there face if it wasn't for the soft candle light from the candles hanging or floating around the hallway. But even that wasn't a constilation.  
  
"Eww, thats so creepy!!"said Kikyou by going behind Riku and griping the back of his trench coat.  
  
"Well, your the one that decided to play miss herioney by volentering us for decurseing this damn house! So don't act like such a baby!"said Riku by prying Kikyou's hands off of him and walking away.  
  
"I'm not acting like a baby! And its not all my fault, for this anyway! Its that damn Ansems fault anyway, I don't even know the guy, but everytime we go somewhere his name pops up like dasiys! And those poor souls just got twisted up into that basterds plans like we are..."said Kikyou in a barely there voice for the last sentence.  
  
Riku stopped walking and said with his back still to her: "Well we are mixed up with him, more than you know. The only way to get through this is to destory him, I hope you'll take it better than when you killed Naruku last night." And with that he continued walking while Kikyou ran to catch up with him.  
  
After takeing another turn in the hallway and one last flight of stairs they ended up in front of a huge set of wooden doors. Kikyou steped to open one and to her suprise it opened easily. Riku stepped in after Kikyou, while she looked around.  
  
The front wall of the room faceing the door was glass, the room had no furnishings incept for a gray carpet and two benches by the door. The only thing that stuck out odd was a cross shaped moument in the middle of the room.  
  
Kikyou stepped up to it and began to read outloud. "In loveing memory of the souls that rest in this house, may they always be at peace."  
  
"Funny huh, how they always put such musy crap on graves when your not even close to being at peace."said a dark voice from the ceiling. Kikyou looked up at the ceiling as the jewel started glowing a bright, blood red. Kikyou backed up as she saw Riku take out his sword, she took out her bow as the room started to get colder.  
  
A transprent figure in a black butlers uniform appeared in front of the glass wall and slowly turned around. Kikyou gasped when she saw who it was, while Riku only smiled.  
  
"So it was the butler all along. Why am I not suprised?"said Riku sarcasticly. The butler or the master of the house narrowed his eyes.  
  
"You should be. I may be over a thousand years old but that doesn't mean that I still don't hold the same fighting spirit that I use too.,"he said while the benchs started floating and started flying toward both Kikyou and Riku.,"Lets Play!!"  
  
After dodgeing the benchs, things went a little down hill. But of course it would be hard, you can't beat something thats already dead.  
  
Kikyou doged another sheet of glass that came out of no where and shot another arrow at MG. (MG means Master Ghost, The King of Ghosts was already taken.) She doged a magic attack and cursed as she saw that she only had 5 arrows left.  
  
"Damnmit we can't keep this up forever!"said Riku as he checked his MP.(Magic Points)  
  
"Yes and were almost out of items."said Kikyou. 'There must be some way to defeat him.,' thought Kikyou as she watched Riku dodgeing another attack and blocking a attack from a sword that went flying through the air.,"What did that woman say agian? That they wanted to be human...thats it, thats the way to defeat him!"  
  
Kikyou straighted her back and shoulders as she perpeared for what she was about to do. She walked straight through the line off fire, as debry flew around her. A piece of grass cut her left check and a few pieces of steel and wood blocked her path but Kikyou dodged there attacks. Finally she stopped walking untill she stood in front of MG.  
  
"Lets make a deal, its obvious that we can't defeat you, and you do want the jewel right?"asked Kikyou with as much fake sweetness that she could manage. She put on a smile and winked at Riku as he stared at her.  
  
"Why yes I do want it, but still why should I believe you? You humans are very sly after all."MG said to her.   
  
Kikyou put her hands behind her back and crossed two of her fingers as she replyed: "Well come on I'm only a little girl compared to you and you have so much-um-ghostly-um-power. There no way me or my friend could defeat you. So I'm going to give you the jewel so that we can escape with are stupid, pointless, short, human lives."   
  
MG stared at her while Kikyou pretended to be innocent. 'Only a real lunatic would fall for this, but she did say that he had lost his mind.'thought Kikyou to herself.  
  
Kikyou stared at Riku to back her up, while he sighed and thought of something to say.  
  
'What does she think she's doing, theres no way in a million years he's going to fall for this, but what choice do we have?'he thought to himself. "Yes shes-um-right. We don't stand a chance." 'Now I think I'm going to be ill with how stupid that sounded...'   
  
MG held out his hand untill it was in front of Kikyou's chest, and the jewel came off of her neck and into his hands. He glowed lavander as he wished to be human and then smiled evily.  
  
"Wa ha ha, foolish humans I had no intention of letting you leave! Now with the jewel I can once agian rain havoc on this world!" While MG was laughing and saying this, Kikyou droped low and kicked his feet out from under him, causeing the jewel to fall to the floor. Kikyou made a mad dash for it and grabed it, she caught it in her right hand while MG tryed to grab her, but by now he was just a regular old man.  
  
Riku checked his sword, while Kikyou ran to stand on the left of MG by Riku stood on the left.   
  
"How can this be? How can I be defeated by a Reaper and a priestess from another time?"he asked by Riku stepped closer to him.   
  
"How can this be you ask?,"Riku said while he glared at him,"Maybe its because, were faster, stronger, and actually alive while your just a fake pile of bones old man! I don't like people deciveing me, and right now the only thing keeping me from snaping your fake old neck is the fact that Kikyou's present."  
  
Kikyou narrowed her eyes and weighed her options. "I have no choice, I promised your wife that I would put this house and all its souls to rest...Riku you can end it now. I don't think I have the strength to..."said Kikyou by turning around and giveing her back to the both of them. Riku smiled by MG shook in his shoes.  
  
Finding his fate sealed all he could do was scream as Riku's blade cut though him, A thick red stream of blood filled the air and shooked into the carpet as the body stopped twitching. Riku wiped the blood off of his sword and onto MG's dead body and then turned to Kikyou.  
  
"You actually let me kill him, why?"  
  
"Because I made a promise, and because in order for me to continue on I will have to kill and see others be killed. This dispute will promblemly go on about this jewel and...me."said Kikyou as she turned around and put the jewel back around her neck.  
  
"Thank you, you finally did it! Now we can rest in enternal peace."said the same woman they had seen in the garden as she slowly appeared next to the moument for the dead souls of the mansion. She held out her hand and her husbends hand filled it as they both smiled at them and disapeared. MG's body also slowly disapeared. Riku put a hand through his hair and looked over toward the glass wall as a blue light was reflected off the wall. The 1000 souls were flying through the roof to the sky, makeing the blue light. Kikyou smiled and walked toward the wall and put her hands on it as she leaned forward to look out.  
  
"All of there souls are finally, free so they're makeing their descent into heavon. Its all thanks to you."Kikyou said as she saw that Riku walked over and stood next to her, on her left and leaned agianst the wall.  
  
"What do you mean me? Your the one that helped them. I didn't even want to help in the first place."said Riku by turning his head to look outside.  
  
"Yes, but you destoryed and put to rest the womans husbend, it released the other 998 souls. Thats something I could never do."said Kikyou in a small voice.  
  
"Thats because your...a untainted person. What makes me any different from him, he killed his whole family. Even if he did while he was under Ansem's control, I knew what I was doing and I didn't do a damn thing to stop it."said Riku.  
  
Kikyou sighed and looked up at him and outstretched a hand. She touched his cheek and was suprised how warm he was compared to her, and that Riku didn't move away.  
  
"If eternity knows what matter of darkness and when pain will vanish, this truth will flow through my heart. I'm not untainted, by makeing a choice to kill a person liveing or not, I have broken even my own matter of laws. Who on this earth besides god has the right to say who lives and who dies. I know we had to do it to save ourselfs as much as for them, but it still makes me a bad person right? I always looked to yesterday, and castles in the sky, but now I know I will never be able to follow them. Your teaching me to live a little vulnerably than before. If eternity does know what matter of darkness and when pain will vanish, then that way, you shall taint me. You shall taint me with your light."  
  
If eternity does know what matter of darkness   
and when pain will vanish,   
this song of truth will flow through my heart  
  
now, please, taint me just a little  
please, just taint me, only a little  
  
This song of truth shall be my guide

Wow I'm finally finished, this chapter took me along time, and is promblemly longer then the first. But it was worth it!   
  
I think you people know what song to play by listening to the begining and end of this, and I don't need to tell you to review, so this is good bye. Tell next time!!


	7. The journey begins

Jazz7: Hi and happy birthday to me!   
  
Evil Jazz7: your birthday was on June 1st. That means it was five days ago remember?  
  
Jazz7: So I can still wish myself a happy birthday. Plus I want to share it with the readers.  
  
Good Jazz7: (looks around and sees nothing but a empty room) What readers, no ones here?  
  
Jazz7: Aggh, stop messing with my head I know someone reads this because of the great reviews I have recived, includeing the one for the last chapter from KagomeKiller. Thank you by the way and I hope you and everyone else that reviews and is reading enjoys this chapter! (Ands of course you people that don't review, enjoy too!)  
  
Disclamer: Oh, yeah, I'm suppost to tell you something...wait now I know! I do not own the characters, anime, game, and/or manga they star in, and the music and song lyrics for "Come" from the Inuyasha soundtrack. All I own is my plot and my style of writeing, my CD's, my Inuyasha manga, etc.  
  
Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker  
  
Chapter 6: The jounery begins...  
  
(This is sort of like the turning point in the story. You know, like when shows go to season two or something, incase your confused. Oh and all I could find was the Japanese lyrics for Come)  
  
Moshi ima kanashimi afureru nara  
watashi ni motarete naite ii kara  
  
I get, I get, I get, get the feeling  
I get, I get, I get, get the dreaming  
tada kono mama  
  
Come my way  
kono yami no hotori  
Come close to me  
ima akari tomoshi  
I'll be with you, I'll be with you  
taba soba ni iru kara  
So come my way  
  
kizuite anata wa kono sekai de  
tada hitori daka no taisetsu na hito  
  
I get, I get, I get, get the feeling  
I get, I get, I get, get the dreaming  
tada kono mama  
  
Come my way  
mou hitomi tojite  
Come close to me  
mou nemureba ii  
I'll be with you, I'll be with you  
tada koko ni iru kara  
So come my way  
  
Calling out  
Can you hear me? yea  
So come my way  
  
I get, I get, I get, get the feeling  
I get, I get, I get, get the dreaming  
tada kono mama  
  
Come my way  
kono yami no hotori  
Come close to me  
ima akari tomoshi  
I'll be with you, I'll be with you  
taba soba ni iru kara  
So come my way  
  
Come my way  
Come close to me  
Come my way  
Come close to me  
  
(Okay thats the end of the lyrics the story starts now. Sorry about this but I'll be putting up signs like this since Fanfiction.net doesn't allow certain signs.)  
  
crunch (sound effects. I'll put SE next to sound effects from now on.)  
  
The sound of last fall leaves were the only clue that he was actually there.   
  
"Shit. What is it now?"asked Riku into a walkie-talkie as he heard the staticey sounds comeing out of his coat pocket.  
  
"Riku, have you caught the suspect yet? He's a heartless so-"  
  
"Yeah, yeah I know already. I've been a Reaper for how long?"he yelled back at the voice of his partner Pocahontas, cutting her off.  
  
"Just be careful..."  
  
"I always am."he responded then shut the device off as he walked into a familer clearing. The well was the only thing that stood out in the clearing of trees. It was too dark to see it but he knew it was there. Steping forward he felt around untill he felt the familer feeling of leather touching wood.(He's wearing his gloves.) Giving a slight frown/smile, he looked down into the darkness of the well. Sighing he turned around and leaned agianst it.  
  
'How long has it been since she fell through to this world? Three days? A week? Time passes to fast to tell... And how long has it been since-' a noise like the sound of rustleing trees or bushs cut off his thoughts as he looked up into the darkness. Since it was a moonless night(new moon) he couldn't make out anything incept the shape of trees and bushs.   
  
Riku peered into the dark looking for what he was searching for, even if his eyes had adjusted to the darkness it was still hard to see what was darkness itself. Reaching into his pocket he slowly pulled out the gun that he was looking for. The boys at the lab wanted him to bring it in alive, it was a new breed they said and they wanted to study it and run a few tests.  
  
Rare breed or not, it was still another heartless to him. One that had been going after young childeren and the elderly. People either too young or too old to defend themselfs. And stranger still it had been attacking them in there homes, places thought safe. Or were safe thanks to a powerfull spell, one of the few things King Mickey had done before he left.  
  
Not like anyone would thank him, he could have taken others with him. Even if the only people here were the ones that were lost when there worlds disapeared and had ended up here. Or had there hearts stolen. (I guess that explains why the victim always disappears.)  
  
It was a city born and made out of darkness. A resting spot for the heartless. And just one big hell of a shit hole.  
  
Yet ironicly he was one of the people that was takeing it on, to help make it a better place. Either that or go out with some style and a bunch of flameing glory.  
  
Two golden eyes popped out of the darkness and stared out at him. A set of blinding white fangs appeared and curved into a smile.   
  
Taken alittle of guard by this, since heartless were known not to have teeth, he stepped back alittle. Riku gasped alittle as he almost fell into the well, pain spread up his back from where he had pushed himself into the splintering wood. Sighing he leveled the gun at his target and waited for it to walk out into the clearing so he could get a better shot.  
  
He was expecting a heartless not a lion.(yeah I know, Scar has one eye, just work with me here.)  
  
Its right eye shut and the one that stayed open looked at him with supriseing intelligence. Giving him another toothy grin, it sat down a few feet in front of him as more yellow eyes popped up around him.  
  
"I hope you haven't gone through to much trouble to find this "rare breed" of heartless you and the rest of your little group have been looking for. Who would have guessed that the heartless was me. Or rather I had used the power you once had and controled the heartless, after gaining entry to those victims homes of course. Who wouldn't open there doors to a lion after all. Wouldn't you say Riku?"it asked by smileing.   
  
"You...you can talk?"asked Riku as he slowly lifted the gun up to the lions eye level. Around the beast, the small shadow heartless slowly took shape.  
  
"Of course I can. You do live in a world of fantasy after all, some would call us nothing more then pages in a book. But we both know that isn't true now is it?"smileing it showed his full teeth as Riku put his figure on the trigger.  
  
"Don't worry Riku, we wouldn't think of harming you. Your the key to the door after all. Or at least the key to that girls soul."a voice spoke out of the darkness behind him as two orange eyes peered into the back of Riku's head.  
  
"Ansem!"Riku yelled out as he turned his head half around to look at him. A familer feeling of heaviness and weightlessness all at once surrounded him as his body started to glow a strange shade of green. Ansem smiled at Riku as he sank to one knee on the ground by pressing the gun into his temple.  
  
"Damn you..."he spoke out as he slowly started to pull the trigger.  
  
BAM(SE)  
  
The nighttime streetlights gave a strange glow to the people and the buildings outside as Kikyou looked out a open window at them. A split second pain went across her head as she looked out at the nightsky. Griping the jewel with one hand she frowned and looked over at the front door. Sighing she turned to the clock in the kitchen. It read a quater to eight. Worryed she looked down at the small glowing lavander jewel in her hand.  
  
He's late...he promised that he would be home at 7:30..."Kikyou trailed off as she looked at the coat rack with the brown trench coat that she had stole still on it. Laughing out a dry forced laugh she remembered how stupid and pointless she had been to follow him in the first place.   
  
'But if I hadn't I wouldn't have learned magic or gotten the bow that I have now. Plus he's only half a hour late...and its not like he promised really...he just said he would be back around then... But-'  
  
riiinnnggg(SE)   
  
The sound of the phone startled her and made her jump alittle as she looked over to it. Putting a pale hand over her fastly beating heart, Kikyou walked slowly over and reached slowly out to grab the handle of the phone.  
  
'Why am I hesitateing? Its just a phone...'  
  
"Hello...Riku's residence...he's not here at the moment. But...I'll be happy to recorde your message and tell him that you-"Kikyou started but was cut off by Pocahontas's voice.  
  
"Kikyou thank god your there! I didn't know who to call, Riku...doen't have any family and..."Pocahontas trailed off for a minute and Kikyou's heart skipped a beat.  
  
Speaking out in a voice that more resembled a mouse then a humans teenaged girls, Kikyou responded. "Is...anything wrong?"  
  
The line went dead for a minute, then in a barely there voice that sounded more like a recording then Pocahontas's lively voice answered. "Riku's...we...he's missing, or at least...the bodies missing..."  
  
The phone clattered to to the ground and a womans voice desperately calling out hello was heard as Kikyou grabed her bow and trench coat from the coat rake and ran out of the building.  
  
Kikyou knew where to go because of pure instenct. Her brain wasn't running on human rational thoughts, it was running on primtive one track ones. Ones that only had two objectives.  
  
Question whoever she could find that was in the building.  
  
And find Riku. Dead or alive.   
  
Kikyou growled out in the darkness as she mentally kicked herself for such thoughts. Or course he was alive, he was Riku after all. He had to be...  
  
Not slowing her pace she ran through the door as a man held it open for her.  
  
"Try talking to Frollo. For some reason, I feel that he'll be more help then we are. I'm...sorry."said Li.  
  
Kikyou spoke out a half hearted its okay and thanks and keep going. Part of her said that they weren't responsible by the other half said they were. Stoping to catch her breath for a minute she cleared her mind as she saw a teary eyed and choked up Pocahontas stareing at her then turning away.  
  
Kikyou sighed and put a hand on her shoulder then kepted walking after Pocahontas clamed down. Seeing the familer office that Riku had dragged her into when she was first thrown into this world, she stoped for a moment to think back on how much she hated him back then. And how much part of her that was hidden away for a moment still did. Shakeing her head she slamed open the door of Frollo's office and quickly shut it as she saw the old man was at his desk.  
  
"What is the meaning of this! We are all upset about the passing of officer Riku, but this is unexceptable! In the moring we will find a replacement-"he got that far when Kikyou slamed her hands on his desk and moved her face right in front of his. Her hair covered half of her face in shadow as she spoke out to him.  
  
"Listen you pile of shit, don't fuck with me right now. I want you and your little top hat to help me find Riku, and if you can't do that give me the full details of what happened. And if you don't," Kikyou looked up at him and peered into his face. Frollo started shakeing in his boots as her eyes glowed a dangerest shade of orange."then I will show you what the true meaning of pain and dismemberment is."  
  
Frollo gulped as he gave her the full story, as Kikyou's eyes returned back to normal. She hadn't even noticed that they had changed color for a moment.   
  
"Riku was out trying to stop and capture a rare breed of heartless, but he never came back. 15 minutes later a gunshot was heard, when his partners came to where he was, all they found was Riku's blood and the gun that we had gave to him. No prints were found around the clearing or on the gun, and I doubt a heartless can use a gun, rare or not."said Frollo.  
  
Kikyou headed toward the door then turned around to say thanks and left.  
  
Frollo folded his hands in front of him and rested his head on them. Sighing he said out loud to himself. "Her eyes, they remind me of his. Heh, I wonder what she'll do when the time comes...she'll have to face Lord Ansem eventualley."  
  
"You sure you guys want to help me?"  
  
"Of course, Riku's our friend too."  
  
"Not just our partner."  
  
Kikyou smiled a half smile as Pocahontas and Li gave her a thumbs up.   
  
"Well do you have any idea where he is?"asked Kikyou as she looked around the gummiship.  
  
"Well, this whole thing started when a couple of young kids stole a gummiship and went up to a world close to ours."said Li as he put the ship on autodrive and looked at the map.  
  
"A world?"asked Kikyou as she peered out into the space of stars outside the ship.  
  
"Yes, one with a large volcanoe on it, some say a large beast or a devil resides in the mountain makeing it always run with lava."replied Pocahontas. (People who watched the Disney movie Fantasia, will know what I'm talking about.)  
  
Takeing the ship off autodrive the room went silent as the world they were looking for came into their view.   
  
"Well this is it. If Riku was kiddnaped by this heartless or went chaseing after it, they would go back to where this all started."said Li.  
  
"Well I doubt Riku's kiddnaped. We would have heard the screams of that heartless by now."said Pocahontas by smileing a Kikyou to lighten the mood.  
  
"Yeah lets go!"said Kikyou as they all put there hands over each others, and over the steering wheel for the gummiship, and pulled the ship forward to enter where they hoped Riku was.  
  
"Two Reapers and that girl is now entering this world."said Scar as he watched Ansem set Riku on the stone platform and start the spell. Riku's limp body started to glow a strange green like before, while Ansem smiled.  
  
"Let them come, I have something thats been waiting to meet them." Snapping his figures a unhuman roar could be hear outside the chamber inside the volcano they were in.  
  
Landing on the ground from the gummiship that was over there heads was a little hard. The ground was hotter then they had expected. But somehow they landed on their feet. Kikyou took off the trench coat that she had been wearing and put it inside the pack with their potions and other items they might need. Takeing out there weapons as the ship disappeared they walked into the volcano.  
  
"God, this is hotter then hades."said Li as he looked around at the lava flowing right besides the path they were takeing.  
  
"Well I'm not so sure about that, I heard he has a pretty hot head."  
  
"Ha, ha very funny Pocahontas, lay off the jokes will you?"asked Li as Pocahontas fliped him off and keep walking. (She gave him the finger.)  
  
Kikyou looked out at the path ahead and walked behind the two, looking to the right she saw a chest.  
  
"Hey whats this?"  
  
"Hmm, it looks like a chest that someone left here. They pop up in every single world, I think. I wonder what genius left them everywhere?"answered Li.  
  
"A smart one. Well Kikyou, go ahead, open it."said Pocahontas as she looked around for heartless.  
  
Kikyou opened it and looked at the small bracelet in her hands. It had a fire emblem on it and Kikyou twirled it around her fingers.  
  
"It looks to be one of those breaclets that are like armor, they protect agianst magic though. See that fire emblem, this one protects agianst fire. You should keep it, you might need it."Li said as he looked around.  
  
Kikyou put it on her wrist and looked up as a heartless popped up out of nowhere. Two more popped out and Pocahontas stabed the first one with her pole. By Li and Pocahontas killed the others.(Sorry but I'm to lazy to go on the internet and find out some names for the heartless, or to just try to do two things at once and play the game and type.)  
  
"Looks like there is heartless around here too. We better be on guard from now on, something tells me that we'll need our strength."said Pocahontas as they started walking away to the next corridor.  
  
(I could just bore you with more treasure chests and heartless and corridors but I think I'll just fast forward.)  
  
After walking up to near the top of the volcano they came to a staircase. Kikyou looked up at the spiral of carefully formed rocks that made the staircase, then to the waterfall of lava near it and started climbing.  
  
'I'm doing this for Riku, I can't chicken out now. I have to keep going no matter what, even if I have to walk through this lava!'thought Kikyou as she got halfway up. A rumbleing noise and the earth quakeing almost sent her falling into the lava right by her. Li grabed her hand and kept her from falling. As Kikyou opened her mouth to say thank you she looked up to see something falling from the sky. Before she could say anything Li pushed her forward and out of its path as the thing that fell cut her off from the others and turned to look at her.  
  
(Okay I don't know how to describe it. Its that big monster or demon that pops up out of the volcano at the end of the movie Fantasia. I haven't seen it for three years so don't ask me what it looks like. it kind of looks like a big demon thats as big as a skyscraper with claws and is a dusty color of red. And has really big horns on its head. Sorry my description isn't good, but I don't have the movie Fantasia.)  
  
The monster started reaching out for Kikyou when It stoped in its tracks when Pocahontas cast Blizzarga on it. Kikyou stoped stareing at the beast in front of her and looked behind it at Li and Pocahontas.  
  
"Li! Pocahontas! Come on there has to be someway for you guys to get behind that thing! I won't leave you here!!"yelled Kikyou.  
  
Both Li and Pocahontas shock their heads. "No. We'll hold this big guy off, this is as far as we go! Besides...Riku's waiting for you."said Pocahontas as she started casting another Blizzarga through her tears.  
  
"What Poca means is that we'll make sure this thing doesn't follow you up. Now beat the hell out of that heartless if Riku hasn't already. Bye."said Li as charged at the demon in front of him. The rock above Kikyou's head fell down and almost hit her as she realized that she had to do as they said and find Riku, and that the volcano was erupting. There was nothing she could do and for once in her life she felt completely helpless.  
  
Turning around she started running as the ceiling started falling apart. Stoping out of breath when she reached the top she looked back and couldn't see the others. She put a hand to her face when she felt something wet sliding down her cheek and wiped away a tear. There would be time to cry later, now she needed to kill the basterd responsible for this. Makeing a determend face and griping her bow in one hand and the jewel around her neck in the other she steped through the doorway infront of her.  
  
Kikyou steped into the chamber and looked around. Lava flowed from a mini waterfall next to the doorway and the rest of the room was nothing but rock and alot of space. Incept for a stone plateform in the middle of the room.  
  
"Riku!"Kikyou called out as recognized his familer black trench coat. Running across the room she stoped and fell to her knees besides him.   
  
"Come on Riku, wake up. We have to get out of here, Pocahontas and Li are waiting for us. Riku..."Kikyou trailed off as she noticed that he was glowing a strange shade of green. Looking up at his face she could she that the side of it was bleeding and there was a bullet sized hole in the side of his head. Kikyou put two fingures to it and searched for a bullet, then finding none, she cast Curaga and healed him.  
  
"Now wake up!"yelling at him didn't work so Kikyou pushed him alittle. When that didn't work Kikyou stoped and put her hands on top of his chest feeling for a heartbeat. Finding a faint one she looked back over to his face.  
  
"Riku..."whispered Kikyou to herself.  
  
"Don't worry. He's not dead. Just sleeping, from the spell and his own gun. To bad it was loaded with bullets that were designed to just knock the heartless out and not actually kill them. Lucky for him..."said a voice behind her.  
  
turning her head she saw a tanned tall man behind her with white hair. He snapped his fingers and two bodies appeared on the ground next to him. Kikyou's eyes widened as she realized that they were the dead bodies of Pocahontas and Li.   
  
Ansem followed her gaze and looked at them then grined. "They are indeed dead. They were foolish enough to sacrifice there lives for you my dear. What a waste..."  
  
Kikyou was stunned for a moment but regained her composer as she realized who it was. "You basterd! Don't call me your anything! I'm not your "dear", and your the basterd that set all this up didn't you!? What did you do to Riku!?"Kikyou yelled at him.  
  
Ansem stared at her then started laughing and stoped as Kikyou glared at him. "I set all this up? No, I just provided the playing board. You see," he waved his hand as two figures in back of him."They were also the ones that helped me. After all, no one can go it alone, as they say."  
  
Kikyou looked behind him to see a lion and Frollo.   
  
"Frollo...what are you-"  
  
Frollo cut her off as he yelled at her. "You don't honestly expect me to have played the part of good Reaper forever. You should have guessed from the start, you were just the little bitch that had the jewel inside of her! And as for Riku, I couldn't care what happens to him! I'm hopeing that after Lord Ansem uses the jewel and the portal is open that he will let me kill you both!" Ansem held up a hand to keep him from saying anything else and then steped toward Kikyou.  
  
Kikyou stood up and took out a arrow and notched it in her bow. "Don't come any closer! I'm warning you, my arrows don't miss!"  
  
Ansem laughed and held out a hand. "I'm expecting you'll hand over the jewel like you did to that fool of ghost. Killing me would be just like killing Riku, or yourself."  
  
"Wha-your lieing! Whatever your up to I won't let you have the jewel! I don't even see why you want it, but if it does hold some kind of power there's no way in hell I would just hand it over!"yelled Kikyou at him as she released the arrow that she was holding back.  
  
Ansem easily caught it in two fingers and snapped in half. "Now you must realize how foolish this is."he said.   
  
Kikyou was about to reply when she felt like her heart was beating too fast. She looked up at Ansems face and realized that she could hear his heart. They were beating at the same pace.  
  
Sinking to the ground Kikyou put her hands up to her ears to shut out the sound.   
  
"Stop it! I said stop it! What ever your doing it won't work!"said Kikyou as she looked down at the jewel around her neck. Ansem smirked and looked down at her.   
  
"If your thinking about fighting me, you might as well give up. Riku did the samething and he lost."  
  
Kikyou looked up at him and turned to look at Riku, she put her hand on his chest as she listened to both her and Ansem's heartbeat.  
  
"Your lieing."she spoke after a minute or two. She looked up at him with a emotionless stare.  
  
"What."he exclamied as he saw her expression.  
  
"Riku's heartbeat isn't like ours, its slower. And you know it, your just trying to trick me. I don't care what you say, I only believe in the facts, and the facts point that your just bluffing."said Kikyou as she turned around and sat in front of Riku.   
  
"You don't truely know that."Ansem said as Kikyou's heartbeat returned to normal.   
  
"And you don't truely know that I'm not going to sit back and allow you to kill me or Riku."replyed Kikyou.  
  
"Ha, don't make me laugh, that shell that you call Riku won't wake up. His hearts being used for this spell and after its over I'll have your soul too. The soul that hangs around your neck."Ansem said as a wind started to pick up and swirl around the room.  
  
'I don't believe that.'thought Kikyou as she folded her arms on Riku's chest and laid her head in between them.'If it is my soul that hangs around my neck then how come everyones after it. I don't believe that its over. Or else Pocahontas's and Li's sacrifice would be in vain. I don't believe that your truely gone. I don't believe that your never going to wake up, that you left me like everyone else. You promised...that you would come back.' Kikyou half smiled then stopped and didn't bother to wipe away her tears as she silently started to cry. A strong gust of wind made her lift her head up as she saw Ansem looking up at the ceiling.   
  
A portal made out of a strong gust of wind was opening up, Kikyou looked down at Riku to see the jewel resting on his chest glowing a bright lavander.  
  
"The doors finally opening."Ansem said as Frollo ran up to Ansem along with Scar.  
  
"Now you can finally kill the girl and take the jewel right? Don't forget to what we agreed to Ansem!"said Frollo. Ansem turned around and smiled at him as a heart formed in his hand.  
  
"Of course, I wouldn't."he said as he crushed it and Frollo fell to the ground with a bright burst of blood after him. Kikyou looked away from the gruesome sight and turned back to find a empty room. The wind picked up stronger then before and both Kikyou and Riku were floating above the ground from the force of it.   
  
It was a little hard to breath so Kikyou felt herself falling asleep, opening her eyes she saw that she had floated away from Riku and that they were both flying into the portal. Reaching out her hand she tryed to grasp his but couldn't quite reach it as she went unconscious. The portal engulfed them both and they disappeared.  
  
'I'll be with you no matter what, so come my way...come close to me...come my way...'  
  
Come my way  
kono yami no hotori  
Come close to me  
ima akari tomoshi  
I'll be with you, I'll be with you  
tada soba ni iru kara   
So come my way  
  
Come my way  
Come close to me  
Come my way  
Come close to me  
  
(End of chapter 7)  
  
Well I'm finally finished with chapter 7. Sorry I couldn't put it out earlier but summer just started, my birthday, and my computer crashed and erased everything on it. Includeing the new chapter for "Darkness" and other fanfiction I had been working on. Well I hope everyone liked the chapter, got a little SailorMoonish at the end, sorry about that but I watch alot of both SailorMoon and Inuyasha, along with alot of other animes' of course. Well the thought at the end kind of leaves you guessing, because you don't know if Kikyou or Riku (who's still alive by the way.) thought that. I guess it sounds more like something Kikyou would say, but I don't know who thought it. I just added it because I didn't put any quotes from this chapters theme song! (No its not a songfic.) Well Its hard to do since I don't know Japanese, but if anyone can tell me or can give me the english lyrics I'll add them. I won't redo the chapter when I do find the english lyrics though, because it was hard writeing this and I like the way it came out. And no, the story is not over! Its way from finished, and from here on in it will just get more confuseing.  
  
And because I haven't done this in a long time let me recommed some songs to listen to by reading: "Morning Glow"(from the FFX-2 soundtrack.), "Dearest", "Every Heart", Liberi Fatali(From the FF8 soundtrack, I think.), eX Dream (From the anime X.), Rise (from the anime soundtrack for Ghost in the Shell SAC.), and of course Come. But I already told you that one already huh, well listen to those songs and the rest I told you about. I always listen to those songs when writeing chapters for this. Music always helps you know.  
  
And I also don't need to tell you to review, so review. Oh, thats telling you huh, oh well, never mind.  
  
Oh and I'm glad I haven't gotten any flames, but in case you are going to flame, I'll curse you and your family forever if you do. Just like that old woman from "Holes". Mwa, ha, ha, I'm so evil!  
  
Riku: No your not, just stupid.  
  
Jazz7: Would you like me to shoot you again, knock you out, and put you in a room with a bunch of crazy fangirls like I did Inuyasha.  
  
Riku: (He gulps and puts up two hands.) No, thank you. Those girls are horrible, what they did to Inuyasha...Eww, I'll be good!  
  
Jazz7: Good. (Walks away.)  
  
Sora: Hey where does this door lead to?  
  
Riku: No don't open it!!  
  
(Fangirls rush in and both run away.)  
  
Evil Jazz7: Now where did they run away to? Oh well, take it away Kairi.  
  
Kairi: (Falls from the ceiling from where she had been hiding from Sora and makeing out with Ansem.) Umm, please review. And don't tell Sora!  
  
Good Jazz7: Oh and have a good day, now please review! 


	8. Time

Hi I'm back, dispite the lack of reviews. Oh well who cares, I'm writeing this for myself. A self tribute you could say, and hell yeah I'm vain! After all, if you don't care about your work no one else is going to! Oh and this might be the last chapter...no not the end of the story! I'm just going to stop writeing for awhile tell I can finish some other things! Now before we begin lets clear somethings up...  
  
1. Yes Pocahontas and Li or dead, don't like it don't read. And the only way they are comeing back in this story is in lovely flashbacks that are really really sad.  
  
2. Kikyou is not Ansem or like him in any way! Forget your suspsions up to this half of the story! Because if you keep on guessing all your going to do is give yourself a nasty headache and be dazed and confused.   
  
3. Yes I can't write action or important converstaions, much less romance, for my life. So yeah don't expect this to be a really well writen fic! I just started writeing a year ago with my first fic, "Gift Of Humanity". And if you read the begining chapters you can see how horrible I was back then, now compare that to now.  
  
4. Now I might just have to repeat it so you ALL can understand... I REALLY don't want any flames! So far I haven't go any and I plan to keep it that way! If I do find one flame, wether you email it to me or not, I will have your head! And trust me I will do something terrible with it, like make it into a candy dish. If you don't like the plot, the characters that star in it, or Kikyou, then its best you leave now. I don't want any Kikyou haters popping up and flameing me over dumb reasons like: "Kikyou's this or Kikyou's that", because if you do flame me because of that I'll do more then take your head! And don't even start about how I can't take your head or harm you in any way, because I know that, but I do have some very nasty things I can say. Besides if you don't like it don't read!  
  
Well thats all I have to say and I hope you follow the rules and read what I just had to say...  
  
Jazz7's darkside: Okaaaaaaay someone had a ego trip. Was it really wise to threaten the readers?  
  
Jazz7: Hell yea! I'm tired of getting nothing but zero reviews and flames. A little fright in them might make them review before I pass judgement on them.  
  
Jazz7's goodside: Ummm...but you aren't Judge Dread. And it might just make them not review or read at all...  
  
Jazz7: I know that! What do you think I am? A complete idiot?  
  
Riku: Well yea I think we do.  
  
Jazz7's good and bad side: (0.o) That was a very bad idea...   
  
Jazz7: Thats it pretty boy, I've had enough of you! Importent or not, I'm takeing your ass down to chinatown!  
  
Kari: Were getting chinese food? Yea!!  
  
Sora: No were not getting food. She means she's going to kick his ass, either that and/or shes a cop and going to arrest him.  
  
Kikyou: Her a cop? If she is heavon have mercy on the crimanls that she arrests...  
  
Jazz7: (Starts chaseing Riku around with a metal bat) Well by I'm dealing with Mr. PrettyboyI'msomuchbetterthenyou, you read now! And don't commite on my bad english for the moment.  
  
Jazz7's goodside: Well I'm not crazy just a Gemini. And I really do like Riku, he's one of my favorite characters. Just trying to be funny so ignore the stuff before and after the chapters from now on. Or from the last chapters to now on. Oh and don't commit on the crappy poems or what every you call them, before the chapter really does begin. Theres a reason I don't go into poetry!  
  
Disclamer: I don't own. And neither do you. So there!  
  
Kingdome Hearts: Soul Taker  
  
Chapter 7: Time.  
  
_We were lost in darkness...  
  
because we feel down and lost our way  
  
We prayed for the light and hoped that our sorrow would end.  
  
Time to stop hopeing the journey begins...  
_  
(Chapter 7 begins.)

Time's like a river you know. It always has a begining and a end...even if you can't see it. And sometimes...that river doesn't aways flow gentaly.  
  
_"Hey mom, what does it mean when something...dies?"_ As a small girl Kikyou had asked that to her mother. The memory of what she replyed would always stay with her.  
  
_"...It means you can't move...and you have to sleep for a long time..."_ Her mother looked sad and seemed to look far away for a moment. Kikyou being the little girl that she was back then looked back at her mother confused. She didn't understand how someone would want to go to sleep for a long time.   
  
_"Why? Why would you want to go to sleep for that long? Did you get to wake up again, or feel, or even talk?"  
_  
Her mother smiled a sad smile and looked back at her daughter with glassy eyes.   
  
_"...Somethings just happen sweetheart. When...you die...you can't wake up again. You can't feel or talk. All you can do is lie there and go asleep...and never come back..." _Kikyou was about to ask another question but her mom...she seemed too much like glass at the moment.   
  
Something that looked pretty, but was too fragile, that if you touched it you were sure that it was going to break. Kikyou put a hand over her hand sitting in her lap. And her mother smiled then she broke down in a wave of tears. Kikyou looked away for a moment. Not wanting to see the scars on her wrist...  
  
She wanted to ask "If dieing is that bad, then why do you want to sleep for a long time too?"  
  
Answers always lead to more questions...oh my that was so true. Why she won't be hear to day if she didn't have answers to so many questions...and so many more questions to go with the answers...  
  
_"Kagome...why does mom always hurt herself?"_ It was a silly question to ask her baby sister, but it was just them alone in the woods actting like two reckless childern. And she didn't know the answer herself.   
  
_"Hey I see a acorn!"_ Kikyou frowned and started to get mad as her sister ignored her question. She just wanted to know what she thought. She just wanted an answer. Kikyou was about to yell at her sister and acuse her of being a baby at running away from a question, when she saw her start to climb a tree.   
  
_"Kagome! Get down!"  
_  
_"Its just a tree, its not a monster. Plus I want that acorn so I can hang it on a string. It will make a good Christmas present, don't you think?"_ As Kagome reached the branch with the acorn on it, a sicking crack was heard. All it took were three seconds that seemed like eternity to two little girls in the snowy woods.  
  
1  
  
2  
  
3  
  
_"Kagome!!"_ The branch had broke and Kagome now laid in a bloody pile of snow.   
  
'I'm falling forever...just like you were falling back in the woods that day. Did you ever forgive me? Did you?'  
  
_"But...I don't want to go to schoool! Everyone hates me! They say I'm a horrid witch and a baby!" _It was whineing and Kikyou knew it. At her age of 12 she should have been past whineing. Her mother frowned, she didn't want her daughter to be upset but it cost her alot to send her to a good school.  
  
_"Kikyou, you are going to school and thats it! Why can't you be like your sister Kagome..."_ Kikyou knew that she had to go to school and that her sister was always right and perfect. But she hardly cared! She was still upset that everyone had called her a baby and a witch just because she was different. It wasn't her fault that she looked the way she did. It wasn't her fault that she was so smart. It wasn't her fault that she had strange gifts. She didn't mean for her to send the student to the nurses office. She just didn't like what he said to her! And whats worse...he tryed to attack her! She was just defending herself, she honestly didn't know how she could have sent him flying into a wall with one push. That and the fact that he had made her cry... But her mother just didn't understand!  
  
_"I'm not going to school and theres no way in hell you can make me!!"  
_  
_"Don't use that kind of lauguage with me Kikyou!"_  
  
_"Why not!? Kagome gets to go out with her friends and cuss all she wants! You get to cut yourself and drink away your problems in a cup of your own sorrow! So why the hell-" _Kikyou didn't finish as her mother slapped her across the face.   
  
_"When your older you can question what I do and choose what you want to do. But while your in this household, you go under my rules and go to every where I want you too. Now grab your things and go, I'll call the school and tell them you might be alittle late."_ Kikyou's mother left and when she did Kikyou through a glass minutere, in the shape of a heart that she had got for her birthday, at the closed door.  
  
_"I hate you! I wish you would just go away forever!"_  
  
'In the end it was me that went away forever...oh mother,did you hate me? Did you think I was a bad girl?'  
  
_"Kikyou, stop reading that book and help me pick out a outfit for the school prom!" _Kagome yelled at her by she put more dresses on the already 2 feet high pile.  
  
_"Kagome, I have no intrest in dresses or the prom. Plus its just Hojo..."_ Kikyou said to her sister as she turned a page in her book.  
  
Kagome sighed and turned away from her pretty dresses to look at her sister sitting on her bed. She scrunched up her nose as she saw what she was reading. _"Kikyou! Stop ignoring me, this is important! Plus when have you ever read that old fairy tale book of yours since when you were little? I can't be that boring!" _Kikyou laughed at her sister and turned a page in her book and started reading "Snow White". She had read it 4 times before when she was little. But she still couldn't see the point of the story. Girl has bad life. Girl runs away from step mom. Girl mets little men in the woods by breaking a entry into their house. (Which was also breaking a law.) Then she falls asleep by step mom and mets a prince who kisses her and wakes her up.   
  
Oh please. Someone kill her now. That was the stupidest thing that she had ever heard of, or read. And hadn't that whole "wake up with a kiss" thing been used in "Sleeping Beauty"?   
  
Her sister took another dress from the pile and her eyes lit up as she turned to Kikyou. _"This is perfect! You should wear this to the prom! Hojo won't be able to keep his eyes off you!" _Kikyou looked up from her sister and at the skimppy red garment that her sister held toward her. Kikyou sighed and turned back to her book by her sister looked disispointed.   
  
_"Yeah and I know that he won't be able to keep his hands to himself if I wore that..."_ Kikyou smiled and looked up from her book as her sister grined. Soon they had broke out in laughter and forgot all about the prom, dresses, or Hojo, as they started telling jokes and throwing dresses at each other.   
  
'I wish I had just forgot all about everything that day...if I hadn't looked back I won't have been turned into what I am now. In a way...falling like this remeinds me of the well. I wish I could have just forgot...I don't think I wish to see you anymore...I don't think I can see you anymore...'  
  
_"Riku...do you ever regret anything?"_ It was a simple question, yet it seemed to take forever for him to answer. Though it was late a night when they got back from the mansion and she should have gone to bed...that day-that night-it seemed to replayed itself in her mind. The feeling of her being next to him...touching him...just won't get out of her mind. (No you peverted people! Nothing happened!) She could still rememer how his warm skin warmed up her cold flesh. And though the feeling was long gone, the memory was still there.  
  
Kikyou leaned up against the wall outside the apartment they now shared as she awaited Riku's answer. He turned his head to look at her and she stared back. Sea green eyes met earth brown ones as he replyed. _"No. I don't regret anything."   
_  
Kikyou looked down, alittle taken aback by his answer. Wasn't it just this moring, or yesterday moring, that it seemed he regreted something? Looking back up into his eyes she asked. _"You must regret something. No one goes through their life without regrets!"  
_  
Riku looked away from her then looked back. _"Yes we all regret something one time or the other...but if I hadn't done something worth regreting I would have never met you."  
_  
Kikyou's eyes widen slightly and she was about to ask something when he started walking back inside. Not careing if she woke anyone up at such a late hour she yelled to him by he had his back turned to her. "_What is that suppost to mean Riku!"  
_  
He looked back at her and smiled. _"Thats for me to know and for you to find out. Its my little secret."  
_  
'If I hadn't gone through that well...I would have never met you. Looking back on that talk...I figured you were just useing my own joke agaist me to be a jackass. Now I'm not so sure...I'm not sure about anything. Even if you can't even hear me...I have to say that I don't regret meeting you either. Even if it was for a short while...'It was only minutes-or was it hours-since a body had fallen from the sky to land in their woods. It was interesting for a moment, then after a while they stayed away from the still form and looked somewhere else. Ignoring the body from another time, another place, another world.  
  
Kikyou moaned and turned over in her sleep. Her hand made a fist in the suprisently soft ground. Grass tickled her face and she slowly opened her brown eyes and blinked. Sitting up she moaned as noticed that she was alittle sore. Maybe she had laid there on the ground for a couple of hours? Or maybe...  
  
"Riku!"she exclaimed as she remembered. Yes she was searching for Riku...when...Pocahontas and Li... Looking down at the ground she could still see the cursed jewel around her neck and the chain that she had recived from Pocahontas. A tear slipped down her face, then another, tell she started silently crying. She stopped as a face popped into her mind.  
  
"Ansem."she hissed out between clenched teeth. Wipeing away her tears she stood up and looked around the grass and flower filled clearing in the woods she was in. There would be time to cry later. Now she had to find Riku. Takeing a step toward the right she frowned as she noticed something...  
  
Wasn't...she taller?  
  
Kikyou frowned and looked down at her black dress shoes. Yes it looked like she was smaller...looking down at the jewel she noticed that she wasn't just shorter,,,  
  
"My body, how can this be? How can I be this age again?" She didn't know what age she was talking about but she had to have been from her height, 8-6. After all she would always remember how she looked back then.   
  
Kikyou frowned at this new bit of information and sighed. But even as she did she could hear the voice change.   
  
'Great,'she thought to herself.'Not only have me and Riku been transported to another world because of that basterd. Now were little kids!' Well she hoped he was a little kid too, because if not he was going to make fun of her to no end.   
  
Thinking of Riku she looked down at the ground and gripped the jewel close to her heart. She could only hope he was okay. Turning around she stepped forward with greater determination then before. She had to find Riku no matter what.   
  
She turned around only to face a deer, well a baby deer anyway. She reached out a hand and was suprised when it licked it. It turned around then looked over its shoulder, giveing her a "Follow me" look. Kikyou shrugged her shoulders. She was lost, so she decided to get help from some of the locals. Plus the faster she found Riku, the better.   
  
Finally stepping out of the woods Kikyou looked around as she saw a incredible land only told in fairy tales. From where she was standing she could see waterfalls, villages with smoke signs comeing from them, and more vast woods. All surrounded in a rainbow. (Okay don't blame me for the crappy description, I've only seen the movie this world is basied on a few years ago, that and I hate the movie.)  
  
Remembering her furry friend at her side, she turned back to look at the deer and patted it on the head and watched as it went back into its forest. Bowing her head in a silent thank you, she then turned around and looked across the vast land before climbing down and getting started on finding Riku.  
  
It was night when she finally got out of the woods that she had been walking through. Now she wished that that deer had stayed with her, after climbing down that cliff that she was standing on earlier she had got lost in another part of woods. Now she had finally reached a part of land outside the woods, but now where was she?   
  
Looking around she noticed that she was on a beach. The ocean breeze ruffled though her hair and the waves gentally crashed upon the sandy shore. It was a really clear and beautiful night, but she didn't have time to notice as she started walking around and trying to see if Riku had ended up here. After walking a few feet she came upon some wooden crates. Hearing someone comeing she crouched down in back of the crates so she wouldn't be seen. If it was someone unfriendly, like a heartless, then she wouldn't want to be seen at all. And if it was someone friendly, or Riku, she could at least for once in her life suprise someone.   
  
Hearing a crate smash suddenly, she jumped up alittle in suprise. A ruff voice that she didn't reconize said something and she was suddenly glad that she was hideing.   
  
"Be careful with that crate you fool or you'll blow us all up!"said another voice.  
  
'Blow us all up!! Great now what have I stumbled upon, why can't I have better luck!?' Kikyou thought to herself as she looked at the words written on the crate that she was hideing behind. "TNT, Highly explosive!" was written in bright red letters above her head. Glupping Kikyou tried not to scream as pictures of pieces of her bloody and ripped apart body went through her mind. If the crates did explode she would be a Kikyou shiskob.  
  
More nosie was heard and someone walked next to where she was standing. His/her shadow went over her and the box as Kikyou put a hand over her mouth to keep from the person from hearing her breathing.  
  
"Captain Hook, this is the last shipment of crates to load onto the ship."said what appeared to be some mans voice. (I ran out of ideas to so I had to use this stupid world and its stupid characters. Oh well, I hated the movie but loved the level in the game.)  
  
'Captain...ship...great what have I got myself into this time? And how in the world could I not notice a ship! God Kikyou you must need glasses!'  
  
"Don't tell me what I already know, just load the last crates on to the ship already!"replyed Captain Hook. (LOL, sorry I just always laugh at his name!)  
  
Before Kikyou knew what was happening (She had been trying to weigh her options on wether to leave or see if they had Riku.) the crate in front of her was lifted up and all eyes were on her.  
  
Kikyou gulpped and waved as she stood up and started backing away. "Ummm...sorry guys but I have to go...good luck on sailing!" she said as she turned around and started to run. She didn't get far as a hooked hand picked her up by the back of her dress. He lifted her up to eye level and Kikyou started right back into his face with more anger then fear.  
  
'Just great! Now I'm caught by pirates! Why can't I have good luck for once, if I wasn't so small I would smack him! How dare he pick up a lady like this! He has less manners then Riku!'thought Kikyou as she crossed her arms across her chest. The Captain(Crunchatize me Captain! Sorry I can't help but make fun of him!) thought for awhile then said.  
  
"So she must be sent hear by Peter Pan to ruin or plans! Well if she doesn't come back, he'll come looking for the little brat." He looked at Kikyou after he said that to see her reaction. Kikyou frowned then yelled.  
  
"What the hell are you thinking!? Do you have anything up stairs or are you on drugs! "Sent by Peter Pan", oh please, everyone knows he isn't real! Stay off the crack and put me down!!" Kikyou yelled into his face then started trying to hit him. Captain Hook just held out his arm so he wouldn't get hit and then yelled at her.  
  
"What are you talking about you Peter Pan spy! Your just trying to throw us off our track! That wetched boy is still alive! And I don't know what "crack" your talking about! Now shut up and be a good little brat while we hold you prisoner!" He handed Kikyou to a ruff looking man who tied her up with some rope and through her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Kikyou looked over her shoulder to see a floating ship that finally setteled down on the water. After a loud splash and a wave of water going everywhere, the ship let down its boarding gear. (Don't ask me about the parts on a ship because I have no idea.)   
  
Kikyou continued to struggle and yell as she was taken on to the ship.  
  
"This is soooo unfair! Theres no fucking way I'm playing damse in distress! You crack heads better let me go! I'm warning you! Damn that mother fucking basterd Ansem, I'm soooo going to kill him for this! Riku, where in the world are you!!"I guess eveything fades with time. Like a trapsty soon fadeing with age. The only real moment is remembrance  
  
_"Wait! Thank you for saveing my life."  
  
"Your welcome. But you don't have to thank me, I'm no hero. Now if you excuse me."  
  
"Wait, I didn't even get your name. I'm Ki-"  
_  
But there are somethings that don't change. Like a smile from someone close to you. Forgetting the past with that bright smile that holdes dear to you.  
  
_"Hey Riku! You could wait! Don't you want to celebrate? Today after all is the day that we found you!"   
  
"No I don't want to celebrate. Now be a couple of good partners and go do some work or something."  
  
"Aww, come on man, you know you want too. After all we could have a party..."  
  
"Would you two come off it for one second!? Listen I just want to be left alone."  
  
"Well then we'll throw a suprise party for you! Come on it will be fun."  
  
"But you just told me your plans."  
  
"Oh well I guess its the thought that counts. Right, Li?"_  
  
Pain will always be there. No matter how much it hurts. But someone is always there to comfort you with their heart.  
  
_"Thats because your...a untainted person. What makes me any different then him, he killed his own family. Even if he did while he was under Ansem's control, I knew what I was doing and I didn't do a thing to stop it."  
  
"If entrnity knows what matter of darkness and when pain shall vanish, then this truth shall flow through my heart. I'm not a untainted, by makeing the choice to kill a person liveing or not, I have broken my own matter of laws. Who on this earth besides god has a right to say who lives and who dies. I know we had to do it to save ourselfs as much as for them, but it still makes me a bad person right? I always looked to yesterday, and castles in the sky, but now I know I will never be able to follow them. Your teaching me to live a little more vulnerably then before. If eternity knows what matter of darkness and when pain shall vanish, then that way, you shall taint me. You shall taint me with your light."  
_  
The voices stopped and he looked around. In the reflection of the clear dark marble he could see that he was just a little kid. 8 or 6 years old. He stepped forward into another room where he was greated with another voice. It was saying words that he could hardly understand.  
  
"The light of the once colorful colors of your profile light my way. Please don't lose those enchanting colors..."  
  
"Is someone there?" he called out into the dim light of the room.  
  
"I guess everything fades with time...soon you to will walk away...leaveing those you care for behind."  
  
As the small boy squinted in the darkness he could make out the figure of a woman. Takeing another step forward he was closer to reaching the woman.  
  
"But there are somethings that don't fade with time. That can't be put into words. Like the strong feelings that fill your distant heart."  
  
She turned her head toward him, makeing her hair flutter around her for a second. The sitting figure didn't bother to get up as it continued.  
  
"Pain, come now. Become eternal. Keep wraping your feelings around your shoulders. I am always watching you even if you are in a distant place."  
  
As he got closer he could make out the blue of her dress, another step and he could just see her raven hair.  
  
"If we are reborn, I will be reborn as myself. Then I will find you once again."   
  
Stopping in front of her he could see her brown eyes turn to look at him.   
  
"Just because you are nearby, you enabled me to keep on walking this steep path."  
  
"Thats nice."he said to her. "But could you help me." The woman smiled at him as she reached out a hand and held out a glittering jewel. He frowned. "I don't need a jewel."  
  
"Your loney because you have been left behind. Now unchangeing things are nothing but continually glittering emotions that have gone unspoken."  
  
He finally exploded at the figure. "Tell me how to get out of here! Don't confuse me! I don't know what your talking about!" The figure shaked her head and closed her hand around the jewel. When it opened a white ribbon was there instead.   
  
"Riku...you keep on walking alone. I want to save you with unseen feelings. Untill we meet again someday..."  
  
"What are you talking about! I don't need saveing! And I'm not walking alone! Ki-"  
  
"Doctor I think he's comeing to."  
  
Riku moaned as he opened his green eyes and looked at the nurse at his side. Quickly forgetting his dream.   
  
"Well how are you feeling?"the nurse asked.  
  
Ignoring the question he asked a question of his own.  
  
"Who am I?"Kikyou had had enough. This was turning out to be a very bad night. No let me refrase that, a very very horrible night.   
  
She had been kiddnapped by pirates who were most likely on drugs.  
  
Changed into a little kid.  
  
Lost in the woods.  
  
Had been thrown on board and tied to the mass of the ship. (I think its that big stick that holds the sail, right?)  
  
And had lost Riku...she still hadn't found him!  
  
What if he was kiddnapped just like she was? Lost in the woods, being eatten by animals, or drowning in quicksand? What if he was hurt? Or still unconscious? Or maybe...Ansem had him? Or...  
  
:"Or maybe he's laughing his ass off right now at some bar, getting something to eat, hanging with woman of the night, and telling jokes at my expense?"said Kikyou with a frown on her face that turned into a angry flat line.   
  
One of the pirates looked up from his card game. "Hey you little brat, shut up!"  
  
"Bite me!"Kikyou snarled at him. He quickly shut up and Kikyou turned back to her dark thoughts.   
  
'I'm going to kill him and Ansem. Murder them and leave them hanging from a tree. No feed them to animals. Or maybe I should cut them up and feed them to cannibles. Riku's suppost to be the man, the big o' tough Reaper thats suppost to save girls like me in danger! Now where the hell is he when I need him? No where! He doesn't come home when he's suppost to, worrys me to death, falls into the hands of the basterd Ansem, and then doesn't even have the nerve to come and rescue me like I rescued him! Well tryed to rescue him anyway...but thats besides the point!'   
  
Kikyou looked up at the clear night sky and snapped out of her thoughts as she saw a flying golden ball of light.  
  
'Great,,,now I'm high too...'  
  
The tiny fairy stopped and looked down at the girl below her. Turning her head to the side she floated there for a second then swooped down to get a better look at her. Tinker Bell was sent to just spy on the old Captain Hook to see what he was doing. Not to rescue a girl. But if that pever Peter was with her he would probably charge head first to save her, after all she was really pretty. If she would smile she would look pretter though.  
  
"Huh?"said Kikyou as she looked at the ball of light in front of her. After getting use to the light she could see a small woman, a fairy, in front of her. The fairy zoomed over to in back of her and tryed to loosen the knot of rope that was keeping her tied to the mass of the ship. Kikyou saw someone was comeing and used one of her hands ,when the fairy got close to her left hand, to keep her hiden in her plam.  
  
A few feet in front of Kikyou, Captain hook talked with one of his pirates. (I think he's talking to that pathtic loser that he's usually seen with. A Mr. Smee, or somthing like that.)  
  
"That girl, she said "Ansem". Hmmm...parhaps that he's still alive..."said Captain Hook.  
  
"Yes sir! And if I may say sir...maybe she knows Ansem because she has something he wants? That jewel-"Mr.Smee was interupted as Hook yelled at him.  
  
"A jewel! What use would that backstaber have for jewerly!? But you are right...maybe she does have some knowlege that he wants..."  
  
"Then shall we use it for ourselfs Captain Hook sir?"asked Mr.Smee.  
  
"No. Ansem was powerfull back then, if he is back he could easily kill us all when he finds out that we have that little brat. We'll find him and hand her over to him...for a price of course!" Captain Hook started laughing, then Mr.Smee joined in, untill Captain Hook hit him on the head with the blunt end of his hook. The both of them walked away and Kikyou let Tinker Bell out of her hand.  
  
At first the little fairy got mad and got all up in her face, then she went back and tryed to untie the ropes around Kikyou. She succeeded with a little bit of magic, Kikyou rubbed her sore arms and bowed her head in a thank you. Then remembering what Captain Hook said, she took the jewel off from around her neck and held it out to the tiny fairy in front of her.  
  
"Please listen! I need you to take this jewel and find a boy for me. He has white hair, green eyes, and is wearing a black trench coat. Not to mention he has a bad attitude. Just take this and give it to him for me! Please this is important! I might never get to see him again and that Captain said that he's going to take me to Ansem...now go!"said Kikyou as she handed Tinker Bell the jewel and watched her fly off. She probably should have gave her Riku's name, but decided against it. If the fariy gave it to someone else or if it got into the wrong hands...at least it won't be Ansem. And Riku would be okay...Who am I? Where am I? Whats going on?  
  
These questions keep on repeating themselfs in his mind. If only he had the answers...  
  
Looking at the reflection of the clock on his night stand, by his hospital bed, he started into his own face. Putting a hand to his white hair, he twirled some around his fingure as he tryed to think of something. All that came into his head was...nothing. A complete blank. In frusration he tore out the lock of hair that he had been twirling around in his fingers. Stareing at the strands of hair that was in his hand, he put a hand to his now sore head and looked at the nurse sitting in front of him reading a book.  
  
"Ummm...where am I?"Riku asked.  
  
"Why, didn't I tell you? Your in the London childerns hospital."she replyed as she looked up from her book, smileing sweetly all the while.  
  
"Yeah but...how did I get here?"  
  
"You were found unconsince lying in the middle of the city. You were brought here and we have been takeing care of you. Tending to any injures you may have. But so far, all you have is a case of amnesia."she smiled saddly at him and Riku frowned. He didn't need her pity, he needed answers. At least she anwsered some of his questions for the moment.  
  
"Amnesia...can you tell me who I am?"he asked hopefully.  
  
The nurse gave him another sad smile and turned to the nightstand. She opened a compartment on it and pulled out a wallet.   
  
"I'm afraid that we can't tell you who you are, because even we don't know. But we did find this wallet on you. It says that it belongs to a Mr. Riku. (Does anyone know what his last name is?) The picture on the ID looks alot like you, but it must be your father. Since theres no way you can be that old."   
  
"Riku..."he said more to himself then to her. It sounded familer, like something on the edge of your memory, but not quite falling into place.  
  
"So little one, what shall we call you?"asked the nurse. He looked to her faintly annoyed. He wasn't that little, and calling him "little one" seemed stupid.  
  
"Riku."he said automaticly. He didn't know who that was, but that wallet was found on him right? Plus she said the person looked like him. So why not? It also seemed like it was his name for some werid reason.  
  
"Alright then."said the nurse. She stood up and started walking away, turning to look at him before walking out the door she said."If you need me just push that little button right on the nightstand right next to the clock. Good night."  
  
Riku watched her go and didn't bother to wave good bye. He just sat looking at the wallet that she had left on the bed. He grabbed it and put it in his trench coat's inner pocket. By putting away the wallet, his hand bumped into a werid object. He opened his coat to see what it was. His eyes widened sightly in suprise.  
  
It was a sword. And a odd looking sword to say the least. It was in the shape of a wing. It seems like the hospital staff didn't check for weapons and didn't notice the sword at all. (Okay I'm not going to tell you what it looks like. I'm terrible at discriptions. So if you want a discription go to a Riku fan site.)   
  
He got out of bed with a grunt and almost fell forward when he tryed walking. It seemed that he had been asleep for a very long time...  
  
Finally after walking back and forth, he walked toward the open window faceing his bed. Looking out he could see the stars and the newly risen moon in the sky. (I don't know if anyone knows anything about the moon but, the reason why it can seem yellow or orange is because it has just risen. That means that it has risen in the sky, like the sun does. And no the moon doesn't rise as soon as the sunsets.)  
  
Riku sighed and turned away from the window. Who ever he really was, he knew one thing. That hospitals were hell, and that they had really stupid people working at them.  
  
Flying past window to window, Tinker Bell tryed to remember what floor it was on. She had flew past the window pretty fast by trying to find Peter. He was at that stupid clock tower, with you guessed it.  
  
Wendy.  
  
What the hell did he see in that stupid girl that he didn't see in her?   
  
She would just grow up in a few years, become a adult, and forget about him. Unlike her, she would stay by his side and be with him forever.  
  
Men. You think you know them and they change on you.  
  
Well men, boys, whats the difference?   
  
Forgetting her train of thought she almost fell because of the heavy weight around her neck. She shaked her head and flew higher by remembering what the girl had said.   
  
She sounded like she really cared about this person she was suppost to find. That and she said something about that jackass Ansem.  
  
And she was only helping her only because of those reasons.   
  
Peter on the other hand... She looked over at him by she thought of him. He did follow her, believeing her story and wanting to help the girl.  
  
But only because she had told him she was cute.  
  
Pervert.  
  
Tinker Bell shoke her head and looked at the window to her right. Noticeing the same custom made clock that she had seen in the window before, she pointed to the window to get Peter's attention.  
  
"Is this it Tink? The room where you saw that white haired kid?"he asked her.  
  
She nodded.   
  
"Yeah but the correct term would be platinum blond. The both of you got it wrong, she had a excuse because of lack of time. Whats yours?"said Tinker Bell in a lauguage that only Peter Pan could understand.  
  
"Aww... get off my case Tink. You know I don't care about learning."he replyed as he flew up to the window.  
  
She crossed her arms over her chest and said something else to his back. "You don't care about something else either."  
  
"What was that?"he asked her over his shoulder.  
  
"Nothing."she replyed by smileing just so he could turn around, and then she give him the finger.  
  
She let Peter go in first. He was about to do his famos, "I'm a idot, lets all be overly happy" opening, when in a flash something was across his neck.  
  
Tinker Bell hurryed and went to his aid as she tryed (And I do mean tryed, since shes so small.) to attack the person in black that had Peter hostage. But he just waved his hand at her and she was sent flying on to the bed.  
  
She got up, dispite the jewels weight that was pinning her down, and was about to give him a piece of his mind, when she saw what he looked like.  
  
Platinum blond hair.  
  
Green eyes.  
  
Black trench coat.  
  
The boy that she was sent to find!   
  
Tinker Bell jumped up and down and clapped with joy. What was the chance that she would find that kid in all of London? Peter coughed and Tinker Bell looked his way and laughed.  
  
Dispite his small size, he had a immortal, taller then him, boy pinned by his neck with a sword that was bigger then him. It was so laughable, this was truely a moment in which she wished she had a camara!  
  
"Stop...laughing...Tink...and get him off me!"yelled Peter at him.  
  
Tinker Bell glared at him. "Why?" she asked."What are you going to give me if I do get him off you?"   
  
"Tink...I'll sell you to a black market salesman if you don't get him the MF off me!!"he yelled at her. Tinker Bell glared and stuck out her tongue at him.  
  
So what if he could die from loss of air. He was rude! And he was already in trouble in her book.  
  
If he didn't stop messing around with that "Darling" girl, he would die from loss of head.  
  
Tinker Bell did what he asked though and flew up to the boy behind him. She looked him in the face and bopped him with her wand and some magic dust.  
  
The boy let go and snezzed and Peter ran behind Tinker bell for cover.  
  
Yeah real brave. He's my hero. Loser. He was afraid of a kid 4 feet smaller then him. Why did she follow him again?  
  
Riku stopped snezzeing and glared at the both of them. He put away his sword and crossed his arms across his chest.  
  
"What are the two of you doing here?"he said by narrowing his eyes at them. He still had a hand on his sword. After all, he may be suffering from amnesia...  
  
But even he knew that there was no way in hell that someone could fly.   
  
Or some woman could be that small. And glow!  
  
What kind of twisted world did he wake up in this time?  
  
"We came here to find you stupid!!"yelled Tinker Bell at him. He just turned his head to the side alittle. He didn't understand a word she was saying! But then again...she was a fairy.  
  
In defeat from loss of lauguage, she flew back to Peter and asked him to translate. He smiled another one of his smuge grins and put his hands on his hips by leaning towards Riku.  
  
"We came here to find you! Duh!"  
  
Riku glared at him again. He now was officially annoyed by him now. Bordering on wanting to chop him into pieces.   
  
Tinker bell put a hand to her head. How dumb could someone be? Could he please leave out the "duh" before he pissed him off again.  
  
"Why? What reason did you come here for?"asked Riku.  
  
"Because, that cute babe-I mean girl that was with you, she wanted us to give you something."said Peter translationing Tinker Bell's words. Well trying to anyway.  
  
Riku looked more confused then ever. "What do you mean girl? No one was with me...at least not anyone that I can remember..."  
  
"Just great! The killer shrimp can't remember a thing!"yelled Peter by he waved his hands in the air as a sign of giveing up.   
  
"Don't call me a shrimp! And you would want to kill someone too if they flew through your window."said Riku in his defence.  
  
"Yeah well whatever, ever heard of ask questions, shoot later? Now I'll never get her name..."  
  
Tinker Bell ignored what Peter was saying as she looked at herself in the reflection of the jewel. Remembering the girl's words about never seeing him again, she flew up to him and dangled the jewel in his face.  
  
Tinker Bell started yelling at Peter to translate and to not add anything to her words this time, as she tryed to make Riku listen to her as he stared at the jewel.  
  
There was something familer about it to him...something he couldn't remember. Was it from a dream...or reality?  
  
"Listen,"Tinker-well Peter-said."a girl wanted me to give this to you before it was too late. She said she might never see you again. That must mean something to you! Its obbiouse how much she cared about your safety to not think about her own! Don't just stand there! She needs you! I don't care if you can't remember, you must remember your feelings if not your mind! Just don't let her met a fate worse then death,at Ansem's hands... You must do something...please..."  
  
Riku looked at the jewel and slowly reached out a hand.  
  
_"Just because you are nearby, you enabled me to keep on walking this steep path."  
_  
'This girl she's talking about...the woman from my dream that I can barely remember...'  
  
_"Your loney because you have been left behind. Now unchangeing things are nothing but continually glittering emotions that have gone unspoken."  
_  
'Have I really been left behind? Maybe because of her things are changeing...what am I talking about! I don't even know her!? Why should I help someone I don't even know!'  
  
_"Riku...you keep on walking alone. I want to save you with unseen feelings. Untill we meet again someday..."  
_  
'How would she even know me? Why would she want to help me! Maybe its because of the fact that she knows me? Maybe she can tell me who I am..."  
  
He took the jewel that Tinker Bell offered out of her hands and put it around his neck.  
  
"Fine. I'm help save her...but just because she might know something about who I was."  
  
Tinker Bell smiled and clapped her hands.   
  
"Fine, but I'm no babysiter."said Peter. Tinker Bell went up to him and kicked him in his head.  
  
"You will help, unless you want to be turned into a frog or turned into roadkill!"she yelled at him.  
  
"All right I'll help! Just don't throw up on me, okay?"Peter Pan said by walking up to the window.  
  
Riku turned to Tinker Bell. "What does he mean by that?"  
  
Tinker Bell looked around then took a paper bag out of the garbage can and handed to him.Kikyou looked up at the sky.   
  
'How long is it before I reach where ever I'll be taken to?'she thought to herself.'A hour? 30 minutes? Maybe a day...or two...'  
  
Standing up when no one was looking, she ran over behind some boxs that was close to her. Just like she expected, the two pirates that were guarding her came back from their bathroom break, to notice that she was gone. One of them paniced and ringed a bell on the ship, sounding a alarm.  
  
Kikyou started useing the boxs for cover as she got closer to the end of the ship.   
  
'All I have to do is jump off the ship with maybe one of these boxs, and try to get back to land. Its not that bad of a idea, plus, even if I die at sea, I will have made sure that no one knew who hads the jewel. I don't even know why they want it...but their not getting it!!'  
  
Kikyou was half way there when someone stepped in front of her. Looking up at the person she could see that it was Captain Hook.   
  
"Trying to exscape are you? Well don't bother because-"   
  
He was cut off as Kikyou dropped down and kicked his feet from under him. If there was one good thing about being in the family that she was in, it was learning some self defence.  
  
Running again toward the end of the ship, she was stopped by several heatless. Some of them were on mini flying ships, the rest looked like pirates theselves.  
  
"Great!,"yelled Kikyou out loud as she backed up and looked over her shoulder. Behind her was pirates, in front of her was heartless. "Just Great, now the heartless can fly and are pirates too! Just what I needed, and me with out my bow and arrows..."   
  
One of the heartless jumped toward her with its sword raised and Kikyou didn't have time to react. Lucky for her a blur of red and black cut it in half.   
  
Looking at what was left of the disappearing heartless, she could see that a sword was what had saved her. Riku's sword. Turning around when she heard a thump behind her she could see him (In his cute little kid form.) duck and roll on the ground then stand up and turned around to look at her.  
  
Her heart stopped suddenly. He was alive! He was okay! Kikyou looked up at his face then at the chain around his neck as she noticed a glittering ball of light.  
  
And he incrulbly stupid to bring the jewel here of all places!   
  
Dispite that fact, Kikyou jumped forward and embraced him.   
  
"You big idiot! You worryed me to death! I can't believe I still care about your ass...after all I've been through you could have came sooner!"she yelled at into his trench coat as she hugged him with all the strength she still had left.  
  
"Ummm..."Riku said to her seeing as he didn't know what to do in this situation."Who are you?"  
  
Kikyou felt more like her heart shattered then stopped at his words. Looking up in his face, she could see that he wasn't the same.   
  
It looked like him, but it wasn't him. Something in his eyes just told her that he really didn't know who she was.   
  
"Do you really not know...who I am?"she asked more to herself then to him. He shock his head, and Kikyou let go of him and took a step back.  
  
Tinker bell hovered near them, not wanting to break up the moment. Too bad Peter Pan didn't know that.  
  
"Hey you two! A little help over here! And get away from my girl-I mean those heartless!"said Peter as he punched a pirate in the face.  
  
Riku stepped past Kikyou and pulled his sword out of the wooden ground of the ship, then slashed at some heartless behind Kikyou.   
  
Kikyou put a hand to her heart and sank to the ground for a bit, not only did she feel glad, mad, sad, and a little weak to the knees, she felt like she was in some twisted up world where nothing mattered and nothing was real. Tinker Bell flew up to her and comforted her.   
  
'I can't believe it...I fault so hard...just so I could see him forget who he is... I just can't believe it! I searched all over for him to lose who he is!'thought Kikyou to herself as she watched the fairy on her shoulder try to say something to cheer her up.  
  
Peter destoryed a heartless above her head and turned to look at her. In his hands was her bow and arrows.  
  
"Hey are you alright? I found these, if you know how to use them maybe you can help me, babe?"he asked her. Tinker Bell put a hand to her head. This was not what she need right now, too bad mister hero didn't know that.  
  
Kikyou looked up at him, clearly pissed off. "My names Kikyou, and I'm not a "babe"! And I'm not "your girl" either! Now piss off and give me those arrows!"she yelled at him as she stood up and snatched her bow and quiver full of arrows away from him. She ran towards where Riku was then stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Oh and by the way, tights didn't look good on men or boys centrerys ago and it doesn't look good on them now either." With that said she turned around and started trying to help Riku.  
  
'This is harder then I thought it would be...'thought Riku to himself as he tryed to defeat both the heartless and the pirates. Not like there was a lot left, somehow he ended up killing them instead of knocking them silly. A arrow came out of nowhere and almost hit him. He turned his head to look at the girl that he had save before. She aimed another arrow at him.  
  
"Don't move."she said as she released the arrow before he could say anything. He heard a yelp of pain and comething warm rained from the sky. Looking down at the floor boards he could see that it was blood. He turned around to see a one armed pirate Captain behind him.  
  
"Damn you you little spying bitch!"Captain Hook hissed between his clenched teeth because of the pain."Now not only do I not have a hand, but I don't have a arm as well! You and that backstabeing Ansem, along with that basterd Peter Pan, have caused me more pain then ever before! You two will be the first to die! Give me that jewel!" He made a grab at Riku and barely touched it as Riku spun around and punched him in the face. But one touch was all it took as he started to glow and turned into a bloody mase of teeth (Really sharp teeth!) and claws.   
  
"Ha...Ha...no wonder he wants that jewel! Well I guess your services are no longer needed!"he exclamied by turning to Kikyou. Kikyou took a step back and Riku raised his sword. He was about to attack when a ball of light got in front of the Captains face.   
  
Tinker Bell tryed to distrack him so the both of them could get away, but ended up being smacked overboard.  
  
"Noooo!!"Peter Pan yelled as he dove over board and barely caught her. (Well someone always says NOOOOO!! when someone gets hurt, don't ask why.)  
  
"Whyed you do it Tink?"he asked as he looked her over why he was flying back up onto the ship.  
  
"Why...because someone has to stand up to him...besides...I got tired of standing around..."she said to him as she went unconsince.  
  
(Meanwhile)  
  
"Ha, a fairy stand in my way? I hope you'll be more wise and accept your fate!"Captain Hook-or what was left of him-said.  
  
"I've had just about enough of you! Real Reaper or not, I'm sending you to hell!"yelled Riku as he charged at him. Captain Hook barely dodged as a Riku's sword almost cut him in half, another slash and Riku cut off his hooked hand. Riku almost smiled, untill his hand started to grow back.   
  
"Wha-"Riku started to say but was inturupted as the Captain's hook went through his right lung.   
  
"Riku!!"yelled out Kikyou as she sank to the ground as she watched his blood splirt up in a brilleant spary of red, as the hook was pulled painfully out of him.  
  
As the monster that Captain Hook had turned into (Not like he wasn't a monster before.) turned to look at her, Kikyou yelled at him. "You basterd! I'll never forgive you, I'll die and take you to hell with me!"she yelled as she pulled out another arrow and notched it in her bow. It glowed with her angry energy as she got ready to release it.  
  
"Such hate for such a small and pretty body, but of course nothing better for the holder of the jewel!"he yelled at her by he shoot out a arm to kill her the same way he had done her friend. Kikyou released her arrow and it went flying at him, but it easily was dodged and burned in his evil aura borrowed from the jewel.   
  
As the hook came closer to hitting her Kikyou didn't even have time to notch another arrow in her bow. In three seconds it would all be over.  
  
1  
  
_"...Somethings just happen sweetheart. When...you die...you can't wake up again. You can't feel or talk. All you can do is lie there and go asleep...and never come back..."   
_  
2  
  
_"Kagome! Get down!"  
  
"Its just a tree, its not a monster. Plus I want that acorn so I can hang it on a string. It will make a good Christmas present, don't you think?"   
_  
3  
  
_"Yes we all regret something one time or the other...but if I hadn't done something worth regreting I would have never met you."  
_  
Kikyou closed her eyes as she could already feel the evil hanging off of the hook, she opened them as she felt a swish of wind in front of her. Someones strong arms grasped her shoulders and she was remined of when she first met Riku, when she saw a flash of black and white in front of her.   
  
She and who ever had pushed her out of the way of that hook, fell to the hard wooden ground of the deck as Captain Hook's arm went above there head. She didn't even have time to get up as she was picked up and moved to in back of some boxs. Her rescuer sighed and leaned against a crate as he put his gloved hand over a brightly colored object around his neck. Kikyou didn't want to look up at his face, seeing that it was too good to be true. She started silently crying as she fell forward and leaned against the persons chest. "The light of the once colorful colors of your profile lit my way...Please don't lose those enchanting colors..."she whispered against his chest. It sounded more like rambleing to her, but she hardly cared. It was too much to go throught the world with people slowly dieing around you, just to come to another one with a person that she cared about to die too fast right in front of her.   
  
"I guess everything fades with time...you walked away...leaveing me behind...But there are somethings that don't fade with time. That can't be put into words. Like the strong feelings that fill your distant heart..." What was she saying? She didn't know, maybe the shock of loseing Riku and almost dieing got to her...  
  
Feeling like her heart was already died she felt emotionless. How can you just feel nothing and feel everything at the sametime? Was this how her mother felt when she cut herself? "Pain, come now. Become eternal. Keep wraping your feelings around your shoulders. I am always watching you even if you are in a distant place.   
  
Didn't she care that Captain Hook would know where they were soon? It just felt too painfull and empty to keep on moveing...like you were betrayed by your feelings... "If we are reborn...I will be reborn as myself...Then I will find you again..."  
  
It sounded more like a prayer now. Something to just help the pain of dieing. "Just because you were nearby, you enabled me to keep on walking this steep path."  
  
Oh why couldn't she get up? It wasn't like this was the end? Was it? "Your-I'm loney because you-I have been left behind. Now unchangeing things are nothing but continually glittering emotions that have gone unspoken."  
  
She could feel something dark and light next to her head, it reminded her of that cursed jewel that got her into all this trouble. Smileing alittle at the memory she closed her eyes and keep going. "Riku...you keep on walking alone. I wanted to save you with unseen feelings-"  
  
She was cut off as a familer voice said to her. "Untill we meet again someday...is that what you were going to say? God, I hate dreams. I don't need you to save me again, and I'm not walking alone...Kikyou."  
  
Kikyou snapped out of it and looked up to see Riku's childish face. (There still little kids.) She smiled and hugged him tighter to her.  
  
"You big goof ball! Don't complain about dreams, I didn't even know what I was saying, it was just the shock of you-I mean-me almost dieing!"she said by she smiled up into his face.  
  
Riku winced then grabed her arms and pushed her slightly away from him. "Well dream or not dream, your going to kill me, if you keep on hugging me. And you didn't have to cry, keep that up and your going to stain my coat. I don't know whats worse, the dream you, or the real you. Do you always have to be this obnoxious?"he said as he brushed off his coat.   
  
Kikyou made her mouth into a flat line. He could be nice, you think dieing would do something for him. "Well you could be nice then I wouldn't have to be obnoxious! Plus I'm not the one going around dieing on people! How did you survive anyway?"she yelled at him.  
  
He took the jewel off from around his neck then hissed in pain from the action. "Could you be quite!? He'll hear you! Its worse enough that I'm a little kid now, but to have you screaming at me for almost dieing!? Plus I survived because of your strange jewelry."  
  
Kikyou crossed her arms over her chest. "Well you could say something nice for once. And how-nevermind..."said Kikyou as she saw that he was still bleeding. Kikyou took the ribbon out of her hair and handed it to him. "Here, use this to bandage you wounds."  
  
Riku shaked his head and put the jewel into her outstreached hand. "Great, now that dream really is complete. And could you stop talking and use a Cure spell already?"  
  
Kikyou put the jewel back around her neck, then tied her hair back with her ribbon. After finishing that she healed him by useing a Curaga. "What dream are you talking about? Nevermind-lets go before-"she was inturupted as the crates that they were hideing behind disappeared after someone-no something swollowed them. Riku grabed Kikyou's arm and they started running again. They almost were swollowed themselfs, if I sheild of light hadn't covered them at the last moment. Kikyou looked up at the tiny fairy that was in front of them and smiled.  
  
"Thanks!"she said as she turned around and took out a arrow and notched it in her bow. Narrowing her eyes she tryed to figure out where his stomach was located at.   
  
Riku took out his sword and Kikyou turned to him "It might be better to use long distance weapons, or magic. Aim for his stomach." Riku nodded and started on a Firaga spell instead. Peter Pan watched as he hoved near Tinker Bell, he took out his dagger and through it at Captain Hooks left side. It went through him.   
  
"It has to be in his middle then."Peter said.   
  
Kikyou nodded and turned once again to Riku. "If we don't make it out of this...I just wanted to tell you, that I hate you. That and I hope your ready." Kikyou let go of her arrow before he could respond. The glowing lavander energy of the arrow quickly got past Tinker Bell's sheild or Captain Hook's evil aura. Riku's spell swiled around it makeing it half fire and half energy. It hit its mark, and Captain Hook's stomach, and it set off all the TNT he had swollowed. After a bright explosion and the dust settled, they were encounted with one more problem.   
  
The ship was now torn in half and sinking.(Chapter 7 end)  
  
Well I stopped here since I just now noticed I had once again made the chapters too damn long. Just great!   
  
That and the amount of romance in this one could be enough to lable this chapter a chick flick. That and too much humor at the begining.   
  
The captain on drugs?  
  
Peter a pervert?   
  
Tinker Bell giveing Peter the finger?  
  
Kikyou cussing?  
  
- What the hell was I thinking? What did I eat too much sweets by reading this?   
  
And whats with the dream thing? Well the fact is that I think every dream is trying to tell you something, wether you like what its saying or not. And somepeople-myself included-have had dreams that came true. Or dreams where a conversation that happened in it, happened in real life. I'm not strange or anything, I-along with alot of people-believe that maybe dreams are more then just things that you see when you go to sleep.  
  
But that still doesn't make up for all the mushy moments, or the fact that this chapter didn't come out the way I planned it. Even if this version of how I planned it is way better. -  
  
Well I hope I haven't put you too sleep, or made you not want to read anything for a long while. Please read (LOL, you just did read.) and review.  
  
Oh and before I forget, I don't own the lyrics for Mugen no Kaze from the Ayashi no Ceres soundtrack. That belongs to the good people that translated and put the lyrics up at So go there and see the lyrics, the unchanged lyrics that is. The ones in Riku's dream and the ones that Kikyou says, belong to me. So there! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!   
  
Now read and review. I mean-oh just review! 


	9. Comfort

Hi I'm back. I promised myself not to update untill I at least finished my fanfiction "My Will", but I couldn't stand seeing this at the bottom of my profile page. I really think that this is one of the top fanfictions I have ever done. Well its up there with all my fanfiction really. lol I take great pride in my work, and I don't think this really deserves 14 reviews, more like 60 in my mind, but hey thats life. Speaking of it, next time I have a crossover with Kingdom Hearts and Inuyasha, expect it to show up on the Inuyasha fanfiction page. Why? Because I don't know, but it feels like I've been given the cold shoulder here. But its the same way everywhere else. lol I guess people can't stand werid crossovers, or Kikyou.

Well nevermind, lets go to the review thank yous. You guys should feel lucky, I barely get the chance or time to write out everyone that reviewed incept at the end of the whole fanfiction. So give yourselfs a pat on the back! ;)

We will go in order from the latest to the oldest, then we will go to the ones that (in my mind) seem like a flame or insulting. Enjoy.

**Kevin-Sama: Hey look! Its my best internet friend in the world, Kevin! Well whats up? Thanks for reading and say hi to my handsome boyfriend Ja for me! :)**

**Angel of Darkness and light: Alright! You added me to your author alert! That, to me, is better or almost better then favorite author. Because it means I'm good enough to be watched! Wait that didn't come out right...Oh nevermind. Now let me answer some of you questions. 1. Yes and No, you will have to read in order to find out if those two lonely hearts get together, but if you can't stand to wait, read (when I finish the chapter) "Of Light and Darkness". Its a Kikyou/Riku fic that I'm in the process of makeing, and through I shouldn't post it untill I finish one of my fics, for your great review I'll post it early! Look for it in the Inuyasha part of this site or on the Kingdom Hearts side if I feel like pissing the people off. LOL 2. You have the name Jasmine? I have the name Jasmin! Thats awesome! What were the chances of that? Oh and Hobo-I mean-Hojo is a horrible little man that I almost hate as much a Jaken, Kagome, or Naraku combined. I don't know, its just his neediness, can't he see when a girls not interested? 3. Thanks for saying that this is great writing, I thought it was terrible for a minute there from the lack of reviews. Your review really helped. And I will keep writing. 4. The name thing...well I don't want to be blunt but...You can spell Kikyou either way. I addressed this little fact in one of the authors notes that I did before a chapter. See the people that translated the anime and manga seem to spell the names differently then the origanal manga and anime did. Names like Sesshoumaru, Kouga, Kikyou, and many others probably, were changed to fit the translators and the English way of things. Well I guess they were changed for that reason...So there is not a correct or wrong way to spell Kikyou or, as you would say, "Kikyo". But since the spelling for her name that I first saw was, "Kikyou", it sort of stuck in my mind and thats how I spell it. I hope you don't mind or stop reading because of it. 4. Also yes, to some peoples morals and rules, to date someone younger or older then you is a crime. Also to have sex with someone under 18 is against that law. Luckly there is not sex in this, some sexual situations later in this story, but no sex. That and if Kikyou's 16, she has 2 more years to go. If she's 17, one more year. 18 and shes already old enough. And I don't know about Yuffie or Squall-I mean-Leon. Since they were never named as a offical couple in the game, or there ages for that matter. At least I think this is true, I haven't played the game in a long time. lol But just because they aren't "offical", doesn't mean they are not a couple. Just like all the other couples I like, they aren't offical couples! lol 5. And authors can write whatever they want, but somepeople don't like them too. lol (see crazy controling people or extreme fangirls) But its more like he's a creation of both our imagenation and Square Enix. Because when we see a person or character we get ideas of what they are like in our mind and it makes them real. But I know this has nothing to do with anything...But I hate how Square put there new company name. They should have left it alone. Square Enix? Yuck! 6. Thanks for adding me to your author alert list and I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for reviewing! :)**

**Chibi-Kikyou: LOL I'm glad you thought it was funny! Most people don't like my strange and twisted humor. And I don't like Peter or the movie "Peter Pan", so thats why I did that. I just think the movies dumb and Peter needs to grow up and wear some fucking pants. And did you see in the movie how he flurted with Wendy then the Indian girl (whose name I forgot) and played with Tinker Bell's emotions? Its ovbious that Tinker Bell likes him! Just like Parn in Record of Lodoss war, he can't see it. -- And I forgot what fluff is, is it good? If fluff is romance, then yes there was some. And there will be more too, just wait until the chapter after the next one. Oh boy, thats long and gots lots of romance and confuseing parts. So stick around it will just get better! Thanks for the great review and hope you love this chapter. :)**

**Rednight-rider: Well I'm afraid I can see why its rated-no was-rated R. You see while most people think rated R movies just have alot of sex and nudity, I don't see it that way. The rated R movies that I go to and have seen my entire life (yes even when I was just a little kid) just had violence, lots of adult language, and lots of blood and gore. And maybe one or two parts with nudity or sex in them. Look at Resident Evil! That movie (1 and 2) just had people getting eaten and lots of adult language. Only at the end did it have nudity, and that was one or two seconds. Yet it was rated R. So you see what I'm trying to put here is that people should open their minds, stop thinking that rated R fics are just going to have lemons (sex) in them, and think that it will have some disturbing stuff in them instead. If you had read chapter 4 ("A date with death" I think it was called) you would have seen why I rated it R. But the PG-13 thing seemed to have worked...I talk about that at the end of this or after this part of the chapter. And yes (lamo) I was trying to get people that hate Kikyou to be sent to oblivon. I'm glad you like it, and keep up that scary laugh. Mawahahaahahhaha :)**

**KagomeKiller: You must hate Kagome more or almost as much as me! lol And do you really mean that this is the best KH/IY fic you have ever read? Because if there were KH/IY fics before this, I must have not noticed. And here I thought I was the only one with werid ideas. lol Well I will keep writing, you keep reviewing. :)**

**XxStarry-AngelxX: I think I already responded to your review in chapter 3. I hope you review again and I'm glad you loved this story so much. lol Sorry about your computer virus, but it might be the site too. Several times, when staff is fixing or adding things to this site, that people haven't been able to review. Well thanks for your review. :)**

**immortalbreeze04: I have already updated, I hope you will review again though. Thank you for the review. :)**

**Kuma-No-Nuigurumi: I also already responded to your review too. I'm glad you likd the story and waited for chapter two. I hope you didn't have to wait too long. I'm also waiting for something...For you to review again! lol Thanks. :) **

**Soccergirl09: I know I'm a horrible speller, I try my best with a dictornary and MSN's spell checker for emails. Since my WordPad on my PC doesn't have spell check. And once again, Kikyou can be spelled Kikyou and Kikyo also. So yes in reality it has both a "U" and not a "U". And the crime scene investigation was about the only thing I got right when it came out to this version and the one that I wrote and planned out. I explained Reapers didn't I? Well in this story they are like the police (watch too much movie channal shows) so thats what that was about. They were at the scene of a murder. And since I have updated I hope you will review again. Thanks and I'm glad you reviewed. :)**

**mystlady: You along with some others seem to review ever story I have. Not like thats a bad thing! lol I'm glad you think this is pretty cool and that this is the first one of its kind that you have read too. But then thats my style, making the impossible happen! I will continue this and I hope you will continue to review. Thanks alot for all your wonderful reviews! :)**

**tomi-sama: I got a "Wow"! Its my first one! So this means I'm up there with all the great fanfiction writers right? Well maybe not...but thanks anyway! And I'm glad you think this is cool and that I did a really great job. And I know, most people can't write things out of the oridnary. That just means your normal. I wish I was normal too...lol I did update and I hope you will again review! Thanks for being my first reviewer. I would give you something but all I have is half assed internet drawings and a funny comic about my dad being lost and almost eatten by a vampire.**

Okay and now we have come to the part that I hate...No I really love this part! Really I do! (evil laughter and lightning in the background) Dealing with flames, or something I think is a flame is great! Read, laugh, and shiver in your boots and be thankful its not you!

Luckly, it only two I have to deal with.

**Myotismon: Whats with the fucking "Ew" thing? And this fanfiction is interesting! Its not "horrible"! If you had waited and read it all the way through instead of chapter 3 (the chapter that most people stop reading on, don't know why), then you would have noticed and maybe saw all the greatness of it along with the good reviews I recived for it! If theres one thing I don't like, its a person that flames on the begining chapters and doesn't even wait until the end to flame. And this is a fucking flame! What do you think it is? (well it was a nice flame at least...) And hell no! I won't redo it! Why would I want too? Theres no big spelling mistakes, I didn't do anything that I thought was horrible, and I'm happy with it. So deal and grow up or you could try to make you own KH/IY fic! I dare you!**

**Flame-mistress: First of all, what the hell are you exactly the mistress of? Stupidity? I guess I should be happy that you didn't waste your time writing a bunch of nasty cuss words for me to read. But I'm not. You can insult me, you can call me a big, fat, stupid bitch all you want. Call me a 6 year old baby, kick me, spit on me, burn my house down. But there are somethings that you can do that WILL piss me off! One of them is saying anything bad about my fanfiction or any of my writings. I take pride in my work, and you or any other asshole on this site that says something like that will tick me off to the 3rd degree of pissed offness. So you bitch better pray on your lucky stars that I will NEVER meet you in real life. Because if I did, I would show you why they call me the "mistress of pain". Mawahahahhah That and get rid of the o0 thing okay? Its annoying and if you do it in real life it looks like you have a brain tumor or are trying to be The Rock. And yes bitch I do call this a story. Now fuck off and get a life!**

So now that we are finished with that...Aren't you glad you didn't flame me? That or I don't know where you live if you plan on flameing me. Oh and I'm not the mistress of anything, I just felt like useing her own name against her. I'm a good girl, really I am. (sweet innocent face) So please read.

Oh and one more thing, in the next chapters to come this might actually change back to R. Just warning you...

That and I got the chapter order wrong last time. lol

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

Chapter 9: Comfort

_Look past that distant day that you said good bye_

_Did you really mean what you said? That its all over._

_Don't act like we won't see each other again, just because the times not right._

_I want to ease your soul, lets go on this long road together._

_If only you could see the real me. _

_Letting go of that painful memory I move on. I become stronger. _

_Can you see that? Do you really mean what your cruel eyes are telling me?_

_I want to ease your soul._

(Chapter start)

After a bright explosion and the dust settled, they were encounted with one more problem.

The ship was now torn in half and sinking.

The ship made a groaning sound, like someone dieing or rusted parts moveing against each other. Then it started falling towards the water down below. Since Kikyou and Riku were the only ones not flying, they were painfully sent down to the ground and were no longer standing up.

It started slowly at first, the ship falling, then it picked up speed. Tinker Bell and Peter Pan didn't have enough time to enlable them to fly as well, so they were helpless.

'Oh god, I don't want to die...' Kikyou closed her eyes, she didn't want to look down at the fast aproaching water. She opened them when she remembered something. The jewel. If it had helped out the former Captain Hook, why couldn't it help them?

Takeing it quickly off her neck, and almost breaking the chain in the process, she put it into the palm of one of her small hands. She was about to see if she could make it work, untill a gloved hand grasped her hand.

"No. I wouldn't if-" The rest of what Riku said was quickly lost in the rushing wind. And suddenly the boats speed picked up again. As if it had a life of its own, and like a kid on a rollercoaster, wanted to see how fast they could really go.

It picked up so much speed that they were no long laying on the boards of the ship, but floating above it because of the speed. (is that even possible?)

When the ship crashed into the water, it broke into several pieces all around them. Seeing that they were either going to be impaled to death or drown, Riku grabbed Kikyou by the waist and before she could reply, she was on top of him. (NO THIS IS NOT ENDING IN A LEMON! THATS NOT EVEN-I'll stop and let you read...)

'Its not like its self sacrifice...but I let someone go already because the odds were stacked against me. I'm not about to do it again!' Riku thought to himself as he looked up at Kikyou's worried face.

"Your going to kill yourself! No your going to kill the both of us! Don't-" Kikyou started to shout into his face untill Riku silenced Kikyou by putting a hand on her cheek.

"I know what I'm doing. Plus...would you-"

He didn't get to finish as they finally hit the wreckage below.

Kikyou's lungs filled with water and she opened her mouth just to swollow more of it. Panicing she almost thought she was going to drown untill she looked up and saw the dim light of the moon above her. Reaching for it, she finally got some air into her lungs as she broke the surface of the water. Looking around she could see that they had fell down at least 50 feet. And how they had survived was a miracle. Then something snapped inside Kikyou's head.

Wheres Riku?

"Riku? Riku where are you? RIKU!" Kikyou screamed to the left and right of her. From the water still in her lungs, she coughed and looked below he be dead? Drowned like she thought she was going to be?

'I refuse to believe it! You have to be still alive, you just have too!'she thought to herself as she took a deep breath then dived underwater. The light that the jewel was emiting lighted her way as she looked around. Nothing but the sinking wreckage of what was once Captain Hook's ship.

Needing air, she once again came up to the surface. Looking around she finally saw Riku's black trench coat. With more determination then ever, she swam across and tryed to reach him. When she finally did she discovered.

That is was just his trench coat, nothing more.

"Riku..." Kikyou not only had lost Pocahontas and Li, but now she had lost Riku. She felt too sad to cry....'Riku why...Why did you die on me yet again?'

_"I know what I'm doing."_

Kikyou remembered him saying that and grasped his trench coat in one hand by trying to swim to some drift wood near by. 'He sacrificed himself for me, I'm not about to die in this cold water! I'll live, I'll live to destory Ansem!' With those thoughts fueling herself to keep going she continued onward.

She still had a long way to go when she realized something. There was a noise behind her. Turning around she saw a trail of blood from the coat, and a very big shark behind it.

No, make that two sharks.

She couldn't just shoot them with arrows, she wasn't on the ground. And magic, well lets be honest. She could miss and then what would that leave her? Dinner thats what.

Trying to swim backwards, Kikyou tried to slowly back away. Riku's sacrifice would be nothing if she got eatten by sharks. Panicing as they came closer, she slipped and fell underwater. Upon doing that, she discovered exactly how many teeth a man eatting shark has.

'This is it, I'm going to die! If only...' She was snapped out of her thoughts as a hand grasped her own and she was pulled out of the water. Kikyou looked around to see that she was above the water, with two very pissed off sharks 2 feet below her. She looked up at the hand grasping hers and looked up at someones upside down face.

"You know you could have grasped on to me, then we wouldn't be having this problem."

"Shut the hell up Riku! Its your fault! Next time you want to save me, TELL me first!"yelled Kikyou at him. The boy may have saved her life, be he worried her half to death in the process. But she smiled anyway when he gave her a boyish grin. Splashing brought them back to the world of sharks and things.

As Kikyou looked down, she could see that the fat human eatting little mother fuckers were trying to jump up and eat her. Panicing, she grabed onto his arm with her other hand and tryed to pull herself up like he was a rope. Unfortunately this caused them both to fall into the water below. Or almost untill someone caught both of them.

Kikyou had closed her eyes when they were falling, but opened them when she felt someones arm under her legs and across her back. She looked up at Peter's face and all but smacked him from what he said.

"hehe Looks like I saved your life princess, going to give me a kiss now or what?" Kikyou frowned and glared at him but would whether like to stay in the sky this time.

"Wheres Riku you jackass?"growled out Kikyou. Peter pan grinned and turned his head to the side, Kikyou looked the way he was pointing and saw that Tinker Bell was near him. And that they were both flying, though Riku looked pissed off. Probably from almost dieing because of her. "Wait...how can he fly?"

Upon asking this, Tinker Bell flew over to her and sprinkled some fairy dust on her. Then Peter let go of her and Kikyou screamed as she felt herself falling.

"Think happy crap."Riku yelled down at her.

'Okay then, I'm going to kill Peter and then go to the park and dance with the jugglers.' Kikyou thought sarcasticly to herself, thinking it wouldn't work.

Suprisenly though, it did work. Kikyou looked amazed and turned her head to the left and right, sure that someone was holding her up. Upon finding that no one was, she looked transfixed at the particals of fairy dust trailiing behind her. Then flew to the left then the right, smileing to herself.

"Thanks." She said by smileing happly up at the others. It seemed like she wasn't going to die after all. Kikyou heard splashing underneath her and barely had time to dodge as one of the man eatting sharks tried again to eat her.

"You picked the wrong priestess to try to snack on!" said Kikyou angerly as she took out her bow and notched a arrow in it. "Besides I hate shark fins."

The arrow hit its mark, the sharks forhead, and it came through the other side. The shark grinned for a moment (if sharks can grin) then spit up blood as blood gushed out the back of its head. Kikyou looked to the other shark only to see that it was swimming away.

"Hey Kikyou, are you finished or what? I don't want to sit here all day and see you shoot at fish."Riku yelled down at her. Kikyou looked up at him and smiled.

"Sure. I'm coming." Kikyou put away her bow and arrows and was about to move tell something stopped her.

An evil presence, completely different from the one she sensed when her and Riku were still in Kingdom Hearts. (See chapter 4 and 5: "A date with death".") Looking down she saw a dark shape in the water beneath her. A tentacle shot out and almost hit her if she hadn't moved at the last moment. "Wha-" Kikyou managed to say before another one grabbed her left arm. Pain shot up and down her body as it did. Almost like something was sucking the life out of her. A deep waterly laugh was heard below by the thing that had a hold of her.

"Kikyou!"

"Wait! If you try to go to her you'll die as well! Its a trap!" Tinker Bell tried to yell at him. But she was only a fairy and since she didn't speak the lauguage of man, there was nothing she could do. Turning to Peter Pan for him to do something, she saw him just standing there looking down on everything with cruel and calculating eyes. 'Peter...whats gotten into him?' Tinker Bell thought to herself.

Meanwhile, Kikyou was trying to keep herself from becomeing unconscious from the pain. Now tenacles had wrapped around her waist and her other arm. And whatever had a hold of her was gripping on to her tighter, she could feel her ribs about to give out and break like china plates thrown against a wall. Looking ahead of her, she could see Riku heading straight toward her.

'Idoit...don't you see its a trap? I'm being used as bait. If you come closer you'll die! I can't...I just can't let you do that!' Kikyou thought as her ribs started breaking. "Riku stay back! Don't throw your life away, I'll be fine!"yelled Kikyou desperately trying to stop him. Seeing it wasn't working, she summoned the last of her strength to move her arm, and broke it in the process. She grabbed the jewel that was around her neck, snapped the clasp, and threw it in his direction. Riku stopped and was about to catch it, untill a arm reached up from the water and snatched it before he had the chance.

At that moment, whatever had a hold of Kikyou decided to make itself known. The water bubbled, shiffted, and changed as the creature emerged emitting a evil aura all the while.

"What the...Your still alive!"shouted out Riku in suprise as it seemed that the Captian still wasn't dead yet. If anything, he had grew and now was not only a mass of teeth, but a giant as well. Not to mention had tenacles. It shifted Kikyou so that she was partially behind him.

"If you want the little bitch," Hook hissed out between clenched teeth. "You'll have to go through me. I'm not finished with her yet." As if to prove his point, he squeezed the life out of Kikyou. Makeing her cough up more blood and breaking more of her ribs and almost snapping her spine. Despite herself, Kikyou screamed at the pain.

"You basterd...YOU COWARDLY BASTERD!!" Yelled Riku at Captain Hook. He just laughed at him.

"It takes one to know one. After all, whats more cowderly then hidding behind Ansem's skirts. Actting like his lap dog-" Luckly, Kikyou had fell unconscious from the pain and couldn't hear Captain Hook's words.

"You shut up! Just shut the hell up! What would you know anyway!"shouted Riku at him. Hook just laughed again.

"And it was truely comical what happened to you at the end! Looks like poor little puppy got shoot down by it owner. Maybe you should have sucked up to Malificent! But you probably did didn't you "lap dog"?"

Riku bowed his head and let the shadow of his hair block out his eyes. It was true, he had made alot of mistakes. He did lap up everything they told him, wishing it had been true. He had been too self confident that he would come up on top in the end. That he was the "hero" that was going to save Kairi.

_He isn't your true friend. You're really the only one that can save her, Sora's too interested in his new "friends". Your doing it for Kairi remember? Those people deserved to be destoryed, they were nothing but obstacles. _

Lies, lies, lies, he should have been able to see through it. But anyone could have mad that mistake. Couldn't they?

"Your right...I was Ansem's lap dog. And maybe I did lick up everything he dished out..." Riku whispered more to himself then Hook. "But...lap dog or not...I'm not about to let you kill Kikyou!"

After saying that, Riku once again charged toward Captain Hook.

_"Its...not like I have a dirty mind or anything. I'm not a pervert...its more that getting close is...scary." _

He slashed at him, but he just regenarated everytime. Laughing, Hook smacked him across the face with the back of his hand. Sending Riku reeling to the left.

_"Yes well...everything in life is scary. You just have to give it a chance. Even if...someone says yes or no you'll still be here, you'll still be living."_

Riku regained his balance and used the back of his hand to wipe the blood from his mouth. He charged once again at Hook and once again he got knocked back.

_"Yes I guess it is true that everything happens for a reason, but what if its not a matter of whether the person says yes or not, but if you betray them?"_

'I can't give up...not yet...Your the only one that I have left.'

_"Well I guess you just trust to do whats right."_

Hook dodged a fira spell and then laughed as he tried to hit him in the head with his sword.

_"I don't know whats right or wrong, no one ever taught me. They say laws are made for the weak and that a law is just a extension of your own conscience. But what if your conscience is the one thats telling you to do something agianst the law, something terrible? Then how do you trust to do whats right?"_

Riku dodged one of Hook's tentacles and used a firagra spell against him. It worked alittle but Hook quickly healed and used his own spell against him. It his Riku dead on.

_"Than you do what you have to do. No one ever taught me whats right or wrong either, they taught me to do what needs to be done. I'm not quite as innocent as you think, I have blood on my hands like any evil person too."_

"Why don't you just give up? This little girl can't be that important to you. And as for the jewel, it will go toward a good cause! My cause! If you just give up you wouldn't be hurt now!" Hook tried to convince Riku to give up by the platinum haired boy just keep at it.

_"I maybe too young to understand, but I'm not an adult. And because I'm not, I understand things more clearly than you or they do. You live for the moment, not the day. Don't overlook what you already have."_

'Its my fault that were where we are now...'

_"Riku will everything be alright? Will I ever go back home? Tell me the truth and not a grown-up answer either, I want the truth."_

'I should have just told you about all this, but in a way...I didn't want you to hate me. You and Pocahnotas and Li were all I had left...I won't give that up now!'

_"Wait. I didn't even get your name. I'm Kikyou."_

"What say you boy? Why not just give up? You can't defeat me!"asked (more liked yelled) Hook. Riku stopped and clenched his hand not holding his sword into a fist.

"I can't give up...I..."

_"Then Riku where are you going?"_

"I promised someone that I would be there! Even if I didn't say it! She's more important to me then that jewel! You want it, you can keep it! Give it to Ansem in hell!!" And with that he charged at Hook again.

Unfortantly, Hook had one more trick up his sleeve. He was planning to use the power of the jewel to instantly destroy him once he charged at him again. But...

He wasn't counting on the jewel itself to hurt him. It glowed a angry shade of red and hook dropped it into the water.

"What in hell!? Agghhh!" Hook managed to get out before half of him set on fire. It wasn't really fire so much as the jewels energy. Half of Hook's body was burning, the side that was holding Kikyou was now turning into nothing more then a cinder. It seemed that Kikyou was the sorce of the energy, and so Hook dropped her into the water.

But suprisently, instead of sinking to the bottom, she floated onto the surface then stood up. It seemed that her unconscious body had a life of its own.

"Kikyou.....?" Riku asked uncertain if it really was the young priestess. What was radiating off her was not her but the jewels power itself.

Kikyou herself, as if responding to him saying her name, opened her eyes. They seemed void of their usual life and in a hollow voice that was not her own. (sort of echoy, like when someone is possessed in a movie. The voice is both her own and someone elses.)

"You are not worthy of possessing me. Your nothing more then a tool. Your not the key." Kikyou-or what she had become-said dully, as if stateing a point to someone that wouldn't listen.

"What do you mean I'm not worthy!?" Hook hissed out angerly. He looked to Riku, only to see that he was as suprised as he was, then looked back to Kikyou. Kikyou just floated their and looked at Hook with a bored stare.

"You are not worth anything in this game. Your just a pawn. But you did do something though, you had enough hatred in your heart to become a pawn. I will take your soul, so that you shall become a part of me."

Hook backed up at her words, while Kikyou advanced upon him walking on water yet not floating at all. Hook stood his ground finally and fired a couple of dark energy blast at her. Kikyou just made a shield out of her energy and the water around her, and his blast were absorbed. She bended down when she was half way near him and grabed the jewel from where it floated on the water. Then she turned to look at Riku.

"Riku, use your sword to stabe his arm, the one that he touched the jewel with." Riku nodded and did as she said. Hook screamed and then began melting away.

"How...how can this be?...I'm...not..noth..nothing more...than...a...pawn...." And with those last words he finally died. His body disappeared yet something white still floated where he once was. Kikyou held out the jewel toward it and Hook's soul flew toward it and was absorbed by the jewel.

"Finally pieces of this tale are weaveing again....Take care of this body."said Kikyou, then she fell foward and the light around her disapeared. Riku flew forward and caught her before she could fall into the ocean.

"What just happened? Kikyou....What are you?"asked Riku more to himself then Kikyou since it seemed that she had fell unconscious again. He sensed someone behind him, and turned his head around enough just in time to see a flash of green untill he was knocked unconscious himself.

!?(This will be used to separate certain parts of the chapter.)

The ceremony was almost over.

That was the good thing about animal weddings, they were sort! Well at least Sora saw it that way.

Standing in the back of the church, he stood near the open, white, twin doors that led inside and outside of the church. Despite the fact that it was a wedding, he was dressed in what he usually wore. (I couldn't create a new uniform for him if I tried, so he's in what he wears in the game or the better outfit he gets in Kingdom Hearts 2.)

The final vows were now being said and it seemed that Donald was having a little trouble with his. Probably forgot his vows because of that major hangover he got from the bachelor party from last night. Still it seemed he made it through them and Goofy didn't lose the ring as everyone thought. Sora laughed to himself a bit as he saw that it was finally over. All that 72 hour crazyness of planning, buying, and rehearsing seemed to have ended in 10 minutes.

Looking to the wedding cake Sora looked sad for a moment as he remembered something from his childhood.

_"Hey were not suppost to eat the cake yet!"_yelled Sora at Riku. The two of them had been ivited to their 2nd grade teachers wedding. And through it was almost through the boring part, Sora didn't want to get yelled at even if he was hungry.

_"So? I'm tired of waiting! All their going to do is talk and talk and talk! If you want something you have to go and get it!"_

_"Yeah but what if we get in trouble?"_asked Sora by looking around twice to make sure no one was looking.

_"Get in trouble? Who cares! Besides, when we grow up and get married I'm gonna skip the talking part and just eat the cake!"_

Of couse neither of them got a piece of the cake till the very end, Sora's mom had caught both of them in the act.

'Riku would have loved this with all the food here...That and he would have gotten a opportunity to look up the womans skirts as they tired to catch the bouquet'

"Hey, what are you thinking about Sora?"

Sora jumped alittle from the voice behind him and turned around to see Kari giggleing.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

Kari just rolled her eyes and poked him in the ribs. "Even at a wedding, the brave, fantastic, and almighty Sora never lets his guard down." Sora pretended to be angry and Kari just laughed at him. "Awww I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings or snapped you out of wonder land."

"You know me babe, always have my head in the clouds."replyed Sora with his usual grin and Kari smiled.

"So when are we getting married?"she asked him. It was a subject she had been trying to bring up, but it seemed that Sora kept avoiding the subject. Sora went quiet and looked down at the floor slightly. Kari sighed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey...we all miss Riku, don't forget that. But theres nothing you or either of us can do. Its not your fault that you only found King Mickey. I'm sure that he's still alive somewhere...Don't give up hope."

"Yeah but...this wasn't how it was suppost to turn end. Before this had all happened, I had planned that we would all grow old together. I know real sappy, but still...I wanted to someday shoot bullshit with him about the "younger generation" when we got as old as the village elders...But..."Sora said sadly. Kari sighed and embraced him.

"Don't give up hope, we'll find him one day. And where ever he is, I bet he's with friends. I bet he's happy and waiting for us."

"Yeah but I just hope he isn't hurt. But your right, I bet where ever he is he's with friends. Who knows? Perhaps he even has a girlfriend too."

Blinking awake Riku tried to move his head to look around. Dispite the pain creeping across the back of his head, he managed to see that they were above the city of London. Sighing, he leaned his head against the pillar he was against and tried to collect his thoughts.

'What happened...the last thing I remember...'

Was that Peter had knocked him out.

Angry, he tried to stand up and find the little bastred but was stopped when he felt someone leaning against him. Looking down he could see that Kikyou was sleeping halfway on him. She sighed in her sleep and knoted her eye brows up for a moment then went back to a peaceful slumber. Seeing that he couldn't just stand up, Riku sighed and put a gloved hand through his hair.

'Just great, I've been turned into a 6 year old, Kikyou got possessed or whatever the fuck happened to her, and I got knocked out some asshole that wears tights!'he thought angrly to himself. Turning to look at the full moon he almost didn't hear the voice behind him say:

"So your finally awake huh?"

Turning to look at Peter Riku glared at him. "Yeah I am. Whats with you punching me? Thats some thanks for someone that faught against the person YOU were suppost to be fighting. Where the hell were you during all this anyway?"

Peter didn't say anything but looked down at the stone floor and made his right hand into a fist. Tinker Bell floated near Peter Pan's head but didn't say anything.

"Do you think I didn't want to fight him? He's been my enemy for years! But if you think I was going to help you then your mistakened."

"Whats that suppost to mean? You helped us before the ship broke apart, whats changed now?"asked Riku.

"Whats changed? I'll tell you whats changed "Riku"!"shouted out Peter as he looked back up at him and glared angrly. "You helped him! Your the same person that was on Captain Hook's ship when Wendy was kidnapped, I'm suprised I didn't see it before! I should have know when she-"

He was interupted as Kikyou chose this moment to make her persence known and stood up. "I don't know what your talking about but...You almost got him killed! I can not forgive you for that you basterd!" Kikyou punched him across the face and Peter went flying into the stone wall. Tinker Bell hovered over him, concerned about his safety, but did nothing to harm the priestess. Riku said nothing but stood up and kept silent and leaned against the pillar next to him.

"You would help him! You would be concerned about whether he lived or died! You don't even know anything about him! This persons not as innocent as he seems to be!"

"I know that!,"Kikyou shouted at him."But I don't care! I don't know everything about him, but I do know that he risked his life for mine more times then I could count! I don't care about what he did in the past, I want only to be with him! So don't tell me what I know and what I don't know!"

Peter stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth. Glareing at the both of them he said: "hehe Find then, but next time I see you two again, I won't just stand back let it go. I won't help you either, I can't forgive the kid for all the lives that he destroyed. Next time we meet, I will kill you. Don't stand in my way." And with that him and Tinker Bell left, leaveing Riku and Kikyou alone in the clock tower.

Kikyou clenched her fist and looked at the stone floor. After a minute she sighed and looked at the jewel in her right hand. Fixing the clasp she put it back around her neck and looked around in items bag (where the characters magicly keep all that stuff they carry with them. I think the bags invisable or somthing.) for her brown trench coat.

"Kikyou, are you sure about wanting to hang around with me? You heard what mister asshole of the day said."

"Ah! Here it is!" Kikyou either didn't hear what Riku said or didn't listen, she pulled out her trench coat but didn't put it on. "I still have yours too, catch!"

Riku caught it easily in one hand then glared at her. "Are you listening to a word I said?"

"Yes I am,"said Kikyou as she stepped closer to him."But does it matter? Where do you think I'm going to go Riku? I wouldn't leave you, plus I'm fine really I am."

Riku sighed and turned around to look at the moon as he put on his black trench coat. "Yeah thanks to that jewel you have, you still haven't explained about how you healed yourself and turned into "super Kikyou" in the process."

Kikyou looked questionly at him, she didn't know what he was talking about. All she remebered was passing out because of the pain then wakeing up to Peter yelling at Riku. She thought Riku had healed her useing a cure spell. "Riku, what are you talking about? Didn't you heal me?"

Riku sighed and looked over his shoulder to stare into Kikyou's deep earth brown eyes. Seeing that she wasn't lieing, he turned his head back to look at the moon. 'Nevermind then, I guess you really don't remember anything about that. Lets just chalk it up to the jewel's "mysterious ways"."

"I guess..."Kikyou replyed. A moment of uneasiy silence passed before Riku decided to break it.

"Kikyou, back in Kingdom Hearts...when Ansem had control of my body and before I woke up not to remember anything...What happened?"

Kikyou put a hand to her heart and looked away. She had been dreading telling him what really happened, seeing that it was really her fault that his friends had died. Well at least she thought it was her fault. But it was too late to make up anything now.

"Riku...When I got the call from Pocahontas that you had gone missing, I headed down to the station to see what was wrong and if you were really missing. Pocahontas and Li...we went after you...and..."

"Their dead aren't they?"

Kikyou took a step back, she hadn't been expecting for him to say that. Sighing, Riku looked longly at the moon then turned his head to look at her. "I sort of thought that they were, seeing how only us made it this far...Seeing the look from your face, I guess I suprised you didn't I?"

Kikyou sighed and stepped toward him tell they were two feet away from each other. "Yes you did suprise me. Riku...I'm sorry, its all my fault that I...that I didn't try to help them out. Even when they told me to go and find you, to leave fighting that monster to them, I should have turned back anyway and tried to help them. Its all my fault."

"Forget about it, its not important. The important thing now is finding Ansem and returning you to your own world. And finding out about that jewel that you have."Riku replyed, brushing the subject away and turning away from the moon to walk away from both it and Kikyou.

Kikyou watched him go, then turned toward him and yelled at his back. "Riku, I know that you're not just letting this go! You don't have to act strong in front of me! I showed weakness in front of you and you helped me through it. I want you to tell me how your feeling, don't lie, its okay to be weak..."

"You're right, I did help you to stop crying that time. But I just can't sit here and cry about it, Ansems still out here, I want to finally beat him. Beat him for real this time and on my own. Kikyou...will you help me?"asked Riku.

Kikyou smiled a little. "Like I wouldn't? I want to beat him too, let me help you. Lets beat him together okay?"

"Sure."replyed Riku, smileing alittle too. Kikyou sighed with relief, seeing that he wasn't going to say something horrible to her about how corny she sounded. Then fast walked over to his side.

"Of course first we'll have to figure out how to be come our normal size again..."Riku said with a frown. Kikyou nodded and she watched as Riku stepped off the towers balcony and floated there for a second. He reached out a hand toward her and Kikyou took it and stepped off the balcony and floated with him. It seemed that Tinker Bell had left them the power of flight, one of the good things that meeting Peter and her had done for them. They flew up untill they could see the top of Big Ben and were higher up over the city.

Looking around Kikyou saw that one of the clocks faces had the wrong time on it and one of the numbers, the number 10, was glowing a strange shade of light lavender.

"Hey Riku...whats that?"

Turning to look at what she was pointing as Riku replyed: "Its nothing, just one of the clocks faces is broken."

"Yeah but I read in this book that everyday the workers check the clock to make sure nothings wrong with it. So it can't be broken and no one not notice it. Plus that light..." Before Riku could say anything she had took off and headed for the clocks broken face.

Kikyou floated near the glowing number and then hesitantly reached out a hand to touch its light. It glowed brightly for a second then a light blinded her and Riku's vision. When it disappeared Kikyou looked down at herself.

She was no longer a little kid, but she wasn't exactly her age either.

Riku came up behind Kikyou and looked her up and down. "Well at least your no longer a pipsqueak..."

Kikyou glared at him. "For once in your life be serious! We've been changed from little kids into-"

"Fifteen year olds, or in your case fourteen."Riku interupted Kikyou and said.

"More like 13, I'm not sure at the moment what my exact age is, and I don't care! I want my body back the way it was!"she exclaimed unhappily. Riku sighed and looked up at the stars again.

"Then it seems like were going to have to look for another one of these lights..."

"Then lets go! I'm not afraid...besides it will be like a school scavanger hunt."said Kikyou with a smile, trying to cheer him up since he looked like he was deep into sad thoughts. Or memorys.

"I'm glad you have a cheery out look on things..."Riku said and then looked at her. Kikyou gave him a small sad smile and then flew away from him to float on top of the clock tower.

"Thats because I know that this time, when we meet Ansem again, we will meet him together. Lets go."

"Lets go start this fairy tale again."

(Chapter end)

Wow...This chapter and the one before it couldn't be anyless how I thought it out. Origanaly it was suppost to happen like this.

Kikyou was suppost to drop out of the sky and into that forest, but with out all those memorys from her past. And, of course, with out as many cuss words. And the part with Sora and Kari was suppost to show up before Kikyou fell out of the sky.

Riku wasn't suppost to have a dream at all! He was just suppost to wake up and ask the nurse who he was and how he got their and etc.

The rest untill the part with the fight with Captain Hook was suppost to be the same. But with out the repeating dream thing and all that action! Captain Hook was just suppost to die with out turning into anything. (And with out Kikyou getting possessed too!) Then after Kikyou got his soul and Peter found out about who Riku really was, Peter was suppost to leave after saying his theats and Riku and Kikyou would have a talk at the Clock tower and turn into their teenage selfs.

Unfortantly, thats not how my muse wanted it. And thus you got all this. Through this version is better. It shows a deeper insite into the plot and the main charactes. Also some insite to how they feel about each other and Riku's past. Which I will not write out, I could but you can read that from any old fanfiction and if I made my version it would probably end up like other peoples. So I won't even try and you'll just end up with the feeling (hopefully) that his time with Ansem and the bitch Malasshole (I hate her) was horrible.

But the part where Kikyou got possessed by the jewel was suppost to come later! Like 5-6 chapters later! Maybe even more! Oh well... I guess it will still come out alright...I hope. 

About the age change...I thought it would be kinda funny if they fought as kids and then had to complain and search for a bunch of crappy lights in order to change back! lol I guess I got some twisted sense of humor! Oh well, they will become their old selfs again, don't worry. I'm not that mean! (yeah right...)

Anyway I'm tired and I don't feel like finding the correct spelling for "insite". That and reading this whole chapter over again for mistakes, I'll read it tomorrow and if anythings wrong fix the mistakes. So take it away Sora!

Sora: Right Jazz7. Read and review, and don't flame! Believe me, you don't want to get on her badside!

Kari: Yeah...what she did to Riku just wasn't right. (shivers from memory) Poor him, eatten alive by fangirls.

Kikyou: No worse, became their evil slave!

Riku: Don't just stand there! Help me! Agggh!!

Sora: Okay Riku, as soon as this episode of "The Wire" is over! Now review!


	10. Torn apart

First I was really, as they would say these days, "bummed out". (because of some stuff dealing with my online friends, but this ain't a story about my life), then suddenly, half way through Ayumi Hamasaki's Monochrome I just had the urge to write a new chapter...So enjoy!

Kari: Unless you hate Kikyou, like Snow White, and don't like blood and gore you might want to stop reading. Because then you can use the restroom-to throw up-of course-then leave you Kikyou hateing asshole you! That and if you don't like more hints of pairings you can already suspect are in this, then leave. There!

Sora: She's scary but I love her...

Riku: Kikyou or Kari?

Sora: Um.....Both?

Kikyou: (O.O) Now I KNOW I ain't getting paid enough to do this. Lets go to the disclamer!

Disclamer: I hate Disney, no really I do. After what they did to the Aladdin dvd and a bunch of other crap of theirs I wonder how I can even like them a bit. Aggghhhh the hate! Aggghhh the love! Me....no....own....X.X

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

Chapter 10: Torn apart

_Because I can't do it alone I cry out to you._

_Thats just another weakness, I don't really _

_need to indugle in that fantasy of you and me._

_Take a moment, see right through me._

_I want you to see the flesh and bone that lies underneath._

_Through it takes a long time, I know that if we keep searching..._

_We'll find what's really matters._

(chapter start)

It hadn't taken long for Kikyou to get use to this world world she was now in. Why, hadn't she adjusted quite nicely to Kingdom Hearts. Through this new one had the same rules but a few suprises.

Like how those magical little green, glowing spots on the ground got one up into there ship. Well on that one she had actted quite unlike her and held on to Riku until they appeared somewhere. And that somewhere was the Heartless, Riku, Pochantas, and Li's gummi ship. How it came to be in this world was a wonder. But it didn't really matter, no it really didn't when you got right down to it.

It was in a way just like when you got on a airplane and your bags when somewhere else. They just appeared once you reached your destionation.

Of course the "people" that had left it there could have put away a couple of painful things...Like pictures for instance. Through Riku didn't like them and Li was always complaining that one day they would fall off the shelves during battle, Pochantas put up pictures of them anyway. In the end it came down to three. When he first came (it was a picture of him first joining the force), when they got a award (for the "excilant" capture of a kidnapper that turned out to be a absent minded little kid and a lonely old man), and the aniversity of when he had came to be in Kingdom Hearts. That picture was the latest and the last.

Riku lingered in front of the pictures as Kikyou set about to see if everything worked. She didn't know what she was doing to tell the truth, but she had to do something or she would scream.

Two times she had been saved by him. Maybe even more.

She had saved him also, many times in fact, but the fact that she kept getting in trouble and he kept saving her was still in her mind.

She didn't want to be a damsel in distress. She could save herself. Kikyou knew this and had lived by it, even when it hurt, even when the roads were tough, even when she had wanted to lean on someone else...So why did it stop now?

'It's just my inexperiance...but still...I don't want to be a burden. Just like I didn't ask to be the prize in a game of tug of war either.'

Riku stared into the pictures inside the frames of silver, wood, and gold without really seeing them. Maybe he underestmatied how deep sorrow could really be. Or how much he felt for his former comrades.

"Riku shouldn't we..."

Kikyou was about to say something else when he chose not to finish her sentence, but didn't get the chance as he walked past her and started up the ship.

'I'll just have to forget about it, feelings would only get in the way. I can't aford that, I can't aford that weakness.' Thinking that, Riku sat down silently into the pilots chair of the gummi ship and started it up. It roared to life as if it had waited forever for them to come along and start it up again. Li kept it in really great shape...

The thought of that made him press harder on the accelarator.

Kikyou said nothing as he sat there stearing the ship. What was there to say? Maybe in another place, another time, maybe back when she had hid her feelings of insicrity behind the fact that this might be a dream still. That some part of her could believe that she was in a hosptial bed dreaming it up in a coma while her family cried around her and while she fixed Riku dinner or fought Heartless in the street by walking by, yeah that could be the truth. Yell at him, say for him to slow down, hit him maybe if he doesn't. Because you might never get the chance again Kikyou! Do it before you go back to the silent world of no dreams!

But all that had changed when Riku went missing. Or maybe before that...Maybe when they were at that haunted mansion and all she had was the feelings of disorientation, loss, sadness, and, and, and...

Some unknown feeling that made her feel warm inside. Like a fire was burning just beneath the surface of her skin. A fire that might never go out. That was the words she was looking for.

It was a feeling of safety, she believed. She had felt horrible and sad that he-no the both of them-had to kill that mad spirt. Even though he would have killed them and he had killed his whole family. But she had never killed before and the first time had made her feel emotionless, the second made her feel like a killer. So she had backed down and let a proffesional-no a grown up in her eyes anyway-take care of it.

And when it was over, when the lights of the souls of the lost spilled up to heaven, or what ever really was up there waiting for all of them, she had felt safe. And when Riku had felt horrible she had focused in on that. A old habit she still had from when she used to be in her safe world, a habit called focusing on someone else to make the pain go away. So she had walked up to him, no quite sure the old habit would work this time, she had held up her hands to his face and touched him softly. Saying words she herself barely heard...

Saying words of the heart some people would have said. Saying it's going to be alright because you had seen the truth and were passing them on to you. That as long as this moment held on a little longer and you believed in them, if you believed in her or yourself if you like that better, then everything would be alright.

She still remembered the warmth of his skin compared to the coldness of her hands. Like fire and ice, each melting from each others passion. After she had said her few words, he had closed his green eyes, green eyes that were burning with a fire that only he could contain. He had broke the moment a minute after that by turning away from her and mumbleing something about them getting back to the ship. And she had been left standing there for a moment, confused why the warmthed went away when he went away, and then raced after him like a little kid not wanting to be left in the dark. They hadn't talked after that until they got back and were standing out side the apartment door.

Yeah, maybe it was that night that changed everything. But the serious part in Kikyou knew it was when Li and Pocahontas died and she had been left with Riku's sleeping body and that amber eyed man talking to her. Two had died and two had lived....And was that fair?

Kikyou looked down at the red carpet and put a hand over her heart and where the jewel hung on it's beaded string. If she tried really hard and dug into her minds eye she could still feel and hear her heartbeat controled and in tune with Ansem's.

'I only survived because he wanted me. No, because he wanted the jewel and I own the jewel. Thats why I lived. Thats why were both alive...' Kikyou thought to herself as she walked toward Riku's silent form. She hadn't told him about what her and Ansem talked about and she wasn't going to. At least not yet.

Because if she did Riku might see her as a monster. Just like Ansems a monster and she is for believeing herself to have birthed a monster, the jewel. If he looked at her with the same look he had when he talked, or thought about Ansem, she would just die. She didn't want to have the only person she had left hate her.

Kikyou didn't want him to hate her.

Sitting down quietly, so he wouldn't notice her, she sat down and watched the northern lights landscape of stars and werid child block shapes in front of her. A little while later she dozed off into a uneasy sleep that was thankfully without dreams, she feel asleep and could barely feel herself lean to the left and let her head fall and rest on Riku's shoulder.

Riku didn't really mind that she was leaning on him, he was too in to driving, it was only when her head turned and he felt her breath on his neck was when he noticed her. He stiffined a little and then leaned toward her and put his head a top hers. Putting the ship on auto piolet, Riku sighed and pulled a shakey hand up to his eyes.

_"You are not worthy of possessing me. Your nothing more then a tool. Your not the key." _

'What do you mean by "key" Kikyou,'Riku thought to himself after replying Kikyou's words in his mind.'The way you were talking...it almost seems like something was possessing you. Was that you or someone else? What does that jewel need with souls anyway? I've got to find out, it's the only way to end this once and for all...'

Like Kikyou, Riku also only had her to trust now also. Pocahontas and Li are dead, Ansem returned, they are both in another world and another mess that may just be bigger then it seems, and the past was creeping slowly back...

"I don't care about the "pieces of this tale" coming together again. I know what I did...But I can't change that, not now or ever. You accept me, even if you don't know me. You may be a bitch sometimes, but I'll take care of you. Thats a promise."

* * *

How long had she been running? Maybe a hour, maybe two? Time seemed to stand still has she once again found herself running away.

'How long can I run this time? Sooner or later....'The girl thought to herself then stopped. Takeing a few more steps, she herself also stopped. She had been running a long time. And her twisted ankle was screaming like a siren. This was it, she was going to die.

No maybes.

No "I will stand and fight you with all that I am", since she couldn't fight. That was mens job.

No, this WAS the end. The happily ever afters were gone. And through she was a priencess, one of both the heart and the actual status, she wasn't going to bribe herself out of this. No amount of money could equal reveange, or pay off reveange either.

Looking down at the yellow and blue of her dress Snow White, for the hundredth time today and in this universe, began to cry. She couldn't stop it, even if that meant that it was now easier for the heartless, her stepmother (known simply as The Queen), Ansem (do I even spell that right? 0o), whoever it was now, to find her.

But maybe that was all right, her husband had been taken long ago. Now it was her turn. Maybe this way things would turn out alright.

Hearing heavy foot steps and the clank of armor behind her, Snow White didn't even turn around and gasp in suprise. She had grown up. She no longer was a baby gasping from the Huntsman's arrow, let what be be. Plus she was tried.

'As long as this ends quickly...'she thought to herself while closeing her eyes. She would stop running, but she wouldn't make it easy for them. They would have to grab her arm and drag her back. Or drag her dead body back, either way was fine with her.

With a small feminie laugh a voice behind her spoke into the empty clearing before the forest. "You finally stopped running, huh?"

"Yes." Through she didn't say it between clenched teeth or with anger "yes" came out with a slight his at the end. Reminding Snow White of a tried and hissing cat. If cats could be tried and his at the same time. "What ever you're going to do, get it over with quickly." This time it sounded like the sentence came out in one big sigh.

A quick snap was heard and echoed off the silent witnesses, the trees. Then another sentence was spoken by the woman that she had once called, and been slapped for, mommy. "Yes, we will get this over with, but not by my hand or your brainless soldiers. I'll let your "prince" handle you."

At this Snow White spun around to face the pervious queen of her fathers lands and the knights and soldiers that once protected her husbands land. Through her twisted ankle now screamed more shirlly. She ignored the pain and didn't feel it when she saw the object of her love for years stand emotionless in front of her.

Snow White's face twisted into something that was a mixture of anger, fear, and sadness. Then it twisted into pain as her husband stepped forward and put a hand on her left shoulder. Before she could react to his touch his hand gripped her shoulder harder and harder until a sound like a twig snapping was heard and blood quirted up, over, and between his fingers like a guyser.

The words that she had wanted to say, the words "not you too", died upon her lips some where between the snap of her shoulder blade and the blood pouring out of the damaged muscle and bone.

His hand then left her shoulder and, with both hands, he pushed her down on to the cold ground. Luckly for her, she landed on her OTHER shoulder blade. But the pain was still just as intense.  
The Queen (damn, why didn't they give names to more people in that fucking movie!) stepped past the prince and stopped in front of Snow White. She lifted one foot, and stepped on Snow White's already damaged shoulder blade. This time, she did scream. It was a shrill sound, again reminding her, later on when she could think about it, of a cat whose tail you had stepped on. Only shirller. And more waterery too. Even after she stopped screaming the sound stayed in the air, and the pain after the perssure, of her stepmothers foot, left her shoulder would be worse.

Oh so worse.

* * *

Riku had dozed off a little after he turned the Gummi ship on auto piolet. And THAT was the problem. He hadn't intended to land in an unidentified world. Hell, he had been away for ten years and since then it seemed that all the worlds connected and stayed linked, they could be anywhere.

Anywhere at all.

"Just great, just great!"Riku whispered to himself, even though he didn't need to. He leaned back against his chair and the weight on his shoulder turned into the weight on his lap.

He blinked, once, then twice. What was "the weight" anyway. Then his mind thought of the answer: 'Remember? Kikyou fell asleep on your shoulder last night....Oh shit!'

If she woke up, and her head was on his crotch, two things were going to happen. One, she was going to think he had put her head there on purpose (and think some other things too). Two, she was going to beat the hell out of him.

Through that normally wouldn't bother him, he could beat her any day in the week. But could he beat a possessed Kikyou? What if she got so angry that the jewel once more took over her mind and he ended up-

Cutting off the rest of that thought, he poked her a bit to wake her up. She stirred a little bit, turned her so her face was faceing his stomach, mumbled something, and went back to sleep.

Riku, dispite himself, blushed. 'Why did she have to turn her head? For a second her lips were-'

He shook his head from side to side hard enough to throw his brain out of his skull. 'Think about that later, dammit! You're now fiffteen, remember? Not twenty-five! Plus she's only a girl really, probably doesn't even know the meaning of sex. So save those feelings for someone else, thats of age, and for another time!'

With that in mind Riku sighed and thought up another plan of action. "Sorry Kikyou,"he said as his hands gripped her arm.,"but this is for your own good!"

With that, he shoved her off him and on to the floor.

Kikyou woke up somewhere between getting shoved off of a nice, but lumpy, pillow, and somewhere between hitting the ground. She stayed on the ground for a few seconds, then stood up quicker then a film in fast-forward. Oh, Riku had been right alright, she was angry. So angry that her normally almost experssionless face flared up with anger and her voice rose to several volumes. "WHAT THE HELL, arrrrrrgggggggggg! You think this is funny don't you! Huh, mister I'll just push a sleep person? And after all I-" Her voice broke and he was greatful. It seemed that her vocal cords, that weren't used to screaming, had finally shut down for the moment.

But Kikyou didn't need her voice to express her anger, instead she kicked him in the shin and then walked quickly out of the Gummi ship and into the unknown with out him. Leaveing Riku in pain and with his own thoughts.

'Shouldn't have...pushed her...Ugh, what is she? A kick boxer? I'm lucky she didn't break my knee or something...'

"Of all the-Arg, I just can't deal with that man!" Kikyou screamed at a tree, which sent the birds in it flying off for their life. After a few moments of clenching and unclenching her fists, Kikyou sighed and regained some of her former self.

'It's not the first time you've been pushed, besides it's not that big of a deal. Now, where are we and how close to we to another one of those lights?'she thought to herself then looked around. The place they were in looked unfamiler, but of course it would. This wasn't her world...

"Maybe I should apologize to Riku...I think I went beyond being angry but kicking him. Even if he deserved it. He's my only tour guide around here any way..." Kikyou sighed again then started walking. She could apologize but that would mean giving in and letting him win, she was too stubborn to. That and he would probably start rubbing his victory in her face. He'd give her that damn cocky smile of his, that she hated, and then start gloating.

Seeing some flowers on the ground a few yards away from the ship, she stopped and started picking some. Gardening was her hobby back home, and she did love flowers. Exspecially cataglorying them and figureing out their species, then drying them out and putting them into a book. It might have been a boring hobbie to some people, but it was all she had besides reading and tv. Which she never watched anyway.

'I came, I saw, and I picked flowers. Thats one to tell mom...'Kikyou thought to herself and let her thoughts trail off as her hand touched her namesake flower. Picking it, she studied it's unsual red color. 'Just like this flower, I am now drenched in the blood of my eniemes...'

Riku sighed, how long had he been sitting here holding his knee in pain. The pain was fading, maybe it would flare up when he stood up, but he was alright. So what was holding him back?

'Why do I always not know how to react around her?' It was a good question to ask, for years he had kept his tough exterior. He should have yelled at her.

"-sigh- It was my fault, so I can't just yell at her. Still, it would be easier if I explained-no-that would make things worse. Maybe I should just let her think what she wants to think. Besides, she's not going to run off since I'm the only person that can help her.' Smileing that cocky smile that Kikyou hated, he stood up and grabbed his trench coat. He put it on and winced as the pain in his knee flared up with every step. Maybe he SHOULD yell at her after all.

Riku exited the gummi ship and wasn't suprised at all as the ship finally dissappeared into a mass of green light (into one of those save points, or the universe of ships not into use) and that he didn't see Kikyou any where. She would probably be up ahead, but she wouldn't have completely left.

They needed each other just as much as they hated each other. Or thought they hated each other anyway.

After a few yards of so or walking he finally came upon the person he was searching for. And how typical it was for her to be in a flower field. She was a girl after all.

He leaned against a tree, like he had leaned against the door frame of the room she had told her past to him in, and waited for her to acknowlege his precense by he took in the details.

The early morning light made the world seem more quite, so he could hear her words quite clearly. Through she herself might not know (and probably wouldn't ever know) that she was talking to herself. "It's not right for me to be selffish but...If one of us is to die eventually. Then I hope it is him. Everyone around me has died. No everyone around the both of us has died. Why is that I wonder?"

Her expression turned sad and relflective for a moment, then more angry and determinded. "I can't act weak and just sit here. I WON'T sit here. All I have been doing was thinking back on the past..."

A sigh escaped her lips and Kikyou looked up at the clouds. "I have to be stronger, I have to get stronger on my own."

'At least she's learning,'Riku thought by watching Kikyou,'she's learning that I or anyone else can't build her strength for her.'

After a few more moments, Riku stepped forward to tap her on the shoulder and act like he had just walked in to the dramatic like sceen, when he stepped on a tree branch that he hadn't noticed before.

Kikyou turned her head swiftly around toward the sorce of the sound and saw Riku, blinking, then frowning she asked: "How long have you been there? Were you trying to scare me to death or something?'

Riku saw that she had even drawn her bow and arrows, he hadn't even seen her do it. She was learning indeed. "No, I wasn't trying to scare you, just get you moveing is all. We should continue, we have a lot of ground to cover and me not knowing where we are doesn't help us at all."

Kikyou nodded and Riku walked toward her. He stopped in front of her and Kikyou looked up at him. "Ready to go, Kikyou?"

She nodded then looked down at the blood red flower in her hand. She look back up at him and smiled. "Here, this is for you. I'm sorry about your knee."

Riku nodded and took the flower out of her hand. He pulled her hair a little away from her face with his other hand and put the flower behind her ear with the other. Still saying nothing, he walked past her.

Kikyou was speechless for a second, that wasn't like him at all. She wasn't expecting him to do anything but that. After a second or two, the shock pasted and she stood up also to catch up with him. She said nothing about his actions the rest of the time they were walking and he didn't explain either.

They finally got through the woods, and just like in a fairy tale that Kikyou had read not quite so long ago, there was a castle. Not a realistic, medevil one, this one seemed sort of...

"Happy fariy tale bullshit, thats what this seems like to me." Kikyou rarely cussed, but this time she felt she had too. This was the second time she had walked litterly into a fairy tale she had read long ago.

"Well...Should we go in?"Riku asked and smiled by Kikyou frowned.

"Do we have a choice?"

No, they didn't. If they didn't find that light, they would stay this way forever. Well maybe not forever, but it would be a long time. And there are just somethings you can only do as a adult.

They both walked through the castle gates, side by side and with their weapons out. They had expected heartless, evil knights, hell maybe even annoying woodland critters. Instead all that greeted them was...

"Silence...It's too quite. It's the early morning so you can't honestly tell me that there are no maids around cleaning, or animals, or even people walking around!"Kikyou exclaimed, hopeing that someone would hear her. But all that did hear and come to the sound of her voice was a echo.

"It's like all sound and movement stopped at the edge of these woods...Somethings going on here."Riku said and then turned around. The last thing he wanted was either of them to be killed by a suprise attack. If possible, he would try to find a town to restock their supply of potions and rest. Then look for that sphere of light in the forest. The two of them going alone in a castle, that could house a nation, seemed like a bad idea.

Seeing that Kikyou wasn't following him, Riku turned around and asked her: "Are you coming?"

Kikyou didn't say anything but sighed and followed behind him when he started moving again. It was a bad idea to continue onwards toward the castle, but some part of her wanted to go. Almost like she was attracted like a magnet to whatever was inside there. By thinking on what to do now, she didn't notice the jewel glow a bright blood red for a second.

'Well now what are we-ow what the hell?'Kikyou was cut off from her thoughts as she bumped into Riku. He had stopped walking.

"Mind telling me when you STOP sometime?"she growled out, annoyed that she bumped into him and that she had turned into a airhead for a second.

Riku simply put up a hand to silence her and kneeled on the ground in front of something that they hadn't noticed before.

'I'm suprised I didn't notice it before...The ground here...It looks like blood...'Riku thought by Kikyou peeked over his shoulder and gasped. She gasped more at the size of it then the sight of blood. It looked like some person had taken a gigantic paint brush and painted the ground in front of them red. The blood was also in a human sized circle.

Riku dipped his fingers into the bloody ground, it was partly dried. So that meant that whatever happened had to have happened not to long ago. Around maybe last night or the day before maybe.

Riku stood up and looked down at his now bloody fingers. The black mateiral of the gloves he was wearing made it a shade darker. "We don't know for sure that this is human blood, so don't jump to any conclusions. It could be deer blood for all we know. But this only goes to prove that we should wait on going into that castle..."

Kikyou looked over her shoulder at the said castle. It looked harmless enough, with it's peach walls and flower gardens, yet for some reason she felt like it was the home of the dead. Like she was looking at a place that used to belong to people that had been happy and had suddenly died. Or worse.

"Tell me what you really think about this Riku, you think like it is human blood."Kikyou asked and looked back at him.

Riku nodded and wiped the blood off his hands onto normal ground. "-sigh-We always find ourselves getting into such messes don't we?"

Kikyou grinned and turned around. "I'm going to explore this "mess", I feel like this might be where the light were searching for is. Plus, it's the only lead we have. Would you rather search in that endless forest? Plus, what if there isn't a town around here?"

Riku frowned then sighed and turned around also to follow her. "Your right...For once."

Kikyou looked back at him once and then started running. Riku followed at the same pace and they reached the castles front doors in no time at all.

Riku pointed for Kikyou to stand next to the double doors right side and he stood next to the left. He waited for a second and gripped his sword tighter, who knew what would pop out once they opened the doors? Then he turned around quickly, stood in front of the doors, then kicked them open.

Silence...The only sound was the sounds of the doors being kicked in. Kikyou looked around the front hallway after walking inside. Suits of armor, hallways, brightly decorated doors, the usual. Yet their was a smell in here...

Riku frowned and looked around more closely at their surrondings, he didn't want to say it to Kikyou, but it smelled like decaying meat.

"Should we split up? We might cover more ground that way."Kikyou said after a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence. She was beginning to feel like this was a bad idea after all.

"No."Riku simply replied and walked toward a door to his left. Kikyou followed him, puzzeled by his silence and why he was just standing there in front of a ordinary door. After a few more minutes of silence, Riku reached out a arm and grasped the door handle. He twisted the door handle slowly and then opened it quickly. As soon as he did something, smelling strongly of decay, fell out of the space behind the door and hit the floor with a dull thud.

Kikyou, who was standing very close to what now appeared to be a human, could feel a scream coming up in back of her throat along with a acidy taste of the last meal she had ate.

It was a human, just not a alive one. It appeared like who ever the guy had been, he had been placed or died with his back faceing the door. His grinning face stared back at the two of them in a amusement, while his eyes said another story. They told something of suprise and anger.

From the maggots on his face and no doubt on the rest of him. He hadn't been died just recently.

Kikyou took a step back and put a hand to her mouth, she felt like running, screaming, and throwing up all at once. Riku kneeled down in front of the body and touched the hem of the decesed shirt, a few maggots poked out through the holes of his clothing along with the flies that were sleeping underneath.

"He didn't die inside here..."

Kikyou regained some of her former self at his words and then turned around and looked away. She still felt like throwing up. "Really...?"she managed to croak out with out hurling.

"Really. See these smears on his clothes? They're mud. It looks like he was dug up and then placed here. It also looks like..."Riku trailed off and moved his hands to the bodys shoulders. He moved down the dead mans now loose shirt collar, and looked at his neck. There was no blood on his shirt or pants or puncture wounds either. And he wasn't wearing normal burrial clothes and looked rather young to die of old age. Riku guessed that even before he died these clothes that the man was wearing must have been in bad shape. The skin on his neck didn't give him much of a clue too. If he had snapped his neck it didn't show because the skin on his neck was already discolored and rotting. So instead he grasped the back of his head with one hand and his back with the other. Once the body was "sitting up",. Riku let go of the mans head.

Normally, even if you were dead, all that would happen was that your head would now be resting on the back of your neck. But it seemed that this person was killed by a broken neck, because the head went back more then it should have and the broken bones of the neck jutted out of the skin slightly.

Riku laid the body back down before the head could snap completely off and stood up. "It looks like our John Doe died from a broken neck. From the looks of this guy, he was probably dead for several weeks before someone dug him up and planted him in back of that door as a "suprise"."

Kikyou nodded but didn't turn around. The last thing she wanted to see again was that grinning face, it's almost as if it was saying "your next". Sure, he was dead, but who ever did that to him was probably not.

Riku laughed and then walked toward her. "Don't throw up on me. After all, when your dead you will look the same way. It's just a partly decomposed body, nothing to scream about."

Kikyou turned around angrly, not amused that he took this so lightly. "Maybe to you it is, but to me the world between the living and dead isn't something to laugh about. And you-" She was cut off as Riku lifted up both his hands and touched her cheeks. Kikyou leaned away from him like he had the plague and started wipeing her cheeks with her hands and then wipeing them on her dress.

"Do not touch me with those hands! God, why are men so gross! Matter of fact, DON'T touch me ever again!"Kikyou screamed at him then turned quickly around and walked away.

Riku grinned that grin that she always hated and called after her. "Okay, but if you find another body, I would like to touch that!"

"Up yours!"Kikyou yelled back and walked into a hallway near by and disappeared.

* * *

The castle became even more silent when Riku could no longer hear Kikyou's footsteps echo off the front halls walls. Even the flies seemed to stop buzzing around their lunch for a second to think about what had just happened.

The peace (if you can call it that) and quite was broken by laughter.

It was just too damn funny! Typical Kikyou, underneath that emotionless exterior she was just a regular girl grossed out by death, bugs, and "germs".

"I-I(laughter)...haha Hop...Hope she hears that! I really do! (insane laughter)." Through if Kikyou did hear what he just said, she wasn't comeing back to slap him. Nor was she comeing back at all.

After a minute, Riku stopped laughing and put a hand through his hair. Sometimes she was a nuisance, but she was HIS nuisance. If something happened to her...

'Fuck that! "Something happen to her"? More like she would turn into full bitch mode and bitch, slap, and shiskobb (sp?) a heartless or person to death! Which is something I'd like to see actually!' With those thoughts, Riku turned to look at the dead body next to him. "I can't just leave him in the middle of this hallway, after all, what kind of reaper would I be if I did that? Can't leave the evidience and the rest of this insteresting case to be dulled by time."

Looking around, there really wasn't much to cover the body with (and leaveing it in another doorway was out of the question) incept a suit of armor, a couple of end tables, and a tapastry that showed the castle surrounded by creatures of myth. Grabbing the tapastry, Riku ripped it from the wall and hung it over the body. It was a great thing to use, since it could either help or destroy the evidence unlike plastic, but it would have to do.

Now all that was left was to find the killer and put the case to rest. Even if he was no longer a reaper, he still wanted to know. Through even if he was, there was no way he would work for Frollo after finding out about his betrayal. (I forgot to write Kikyou telling him-or sort of anyway-about what happened when he was out cold. Sorry.)

Seeing that nothing else was going to come to "greet" him, Riku walked toward the door that had opened up to the first suprise in yet another house of horrors. 'We're popular it seems when it comes to haunted houses and murder mysteries.' Laughing a little from the sarcastic thought, Riku stepped into the dimly lit hallway that the corpse had come popping out of.

Who knows? Maybe the master of the house will be waiting with milk and cookies.

Once again, she had let him get the best of her. Hadn't she learned from the headless horse man adventure? All she wanted in life was a vacation, and all he wanted in life was someone to bother.

"I don't see why I stay around him! We don't have anything in common! And he's a....a arrogant jerk that deserves whatever he gets! That's what he is!"Kikyou shouted into the walls around her. She crossed her arms across her chest and closed her eyes as a light blush creeped across her cheeks. 'What am I doing? I'm actting just like my sister that's what! Why? Why can't I act like me in front of him? Maybe my sisters so annoying because of her boyfriend Inuyasha and I'm so annoying because of my-'

"NO!"Kikyou yelled to the empty air around her and turned another shade of bright red. That thought wasn't possible! Not in this world, not in the world beyond either. It was like saying electricity and water was a match made in heaven. They were just too different!

Kikyou was quite, Riku was loud.

Kikyou liked to keep things simple and not show off, Riku liked to keep things complicated and loved to show off.

Kikyou was smart, Riku (in her opinion) was stupid.

And the list went on and on and on. They were just too different to match. Sure, opposites did match sometimes. But unlike those couples or refriegerator magnets, they met on normal circumstanses and had something in common.

"The only damn fucking thing we have in common is that we both want to go home, never see each other again, and hate Ansem..."Kikyou trailed off as she realized that she shouldn't throw herself into things. They both wanted to kill Ansem. Why not focus on that? It didn't have to be about her, just Ansem.

Kikyou sighed and took out her bow to hold it out in front of her in both hands. "The jewel too is a mutrail agreement. I shouldn't be such a baby, he was just trying to help. Just like when he comforted me by putting me down. Giving me something else to think about...I need to focus."she said, and without thinking about it, rubbed the ancient marking inscribed on the bow's wood while the jewel glowed red again, through she didn't notice it glowing.

'What does that mean anyway?....Is it something about the past....Or something yet to come?....'Kikyou thought then turned around and started walking down the dimly lit hallway she had been following for a little over a half hour. The only way to know what all of this was about was to keep walking and find out.

There was just enough light to see what was in front of her, but not enough to see some of the walls and corners aroud her. As Kikyou passed on of those said walls, she failled to notice or hear a door set into it creek open. A blood stained hand reached out and brushed against the back of her dress. The hand stopped half way down her back and a voice whispered: "So what is one so beautiful and delicate doing in The Queen's castle, hmm...And without permission...tsk tsk..."

Kikyou stopped in her tracks and a shiver went down her spine. That voice reminded her just for a second of that dead mans insane face. Trying to regain the pieces of her normal self, Kikyou took a moment to answer. "My business is my own, I don't ask yours now do I?"

Laughter, more like insane manic laughter really, filled the air. "You right little girl, you don't. Through it might be wise to ask..."

"You speak in riddles, tell me what you know."Kikyou demanded and the voice belonging to the hand chuckled a little then the hand left her back. Kikyou gave a sigh of relief then turned around to face who ever she was speaking too.

"You know not what,"The person started, then paused as something came out of the door infront and to the side of her. Something that beat the dead body by a mile. The man in front of her might have once been handsome, or sane for that matter, but spells, blood, and a little taste of "horrors beyond imagination" had turned him in to a horror himself. And it didn't help that his white royal robes were covered in dried, wet, and drying blood. "you have gotten yourself into."The Prince (hate names) continued and reached out for Kikyou's shoulder. She couldn't move, she was too shocked to try, and thus he easily grasped her right shoulder.

(I'll switch bettween characters since they're split up in this chapter, so please don't get confused.)

Riku stopped in mid step. Something was wrong. He just didn't know what.

'Hopefully, it's not Kikyou...'Riku thought to himself and then continued walking. It had been a half hour or more since they had seen each other. It was to late to turn back now. Plus, Kikyou could take care of herself. Unlike Sora or Kairi, she didn't need guidance, training, or a babysitter. She could save herself and him, and so far she had proved that. And for once Riku didn't need to feel like he had to trail after someone and act like their big brother. Through he still cared about her safety.

"She's fine. Kikyou is probably just a little lost, just like I am."And with that he didn't give it too much thought, through it did nag at him in the back of his mind. The hallway in front of him twisted and turned, and never seemed to lose that sickly sweet smell of decaying flesh. Through it did seem to get darker the more he walked, and soon he couldn't see what was in front of him.

"Dammit!" Riku cursed under his breath and reached out his arm to make sure he didn't bump into anything. He walked a few feet, through it seemed like a few inches, but he stopped when something brushed against his outstreached hand. Through he was wearing gloves, the touch of fingers could still be felt, no matter how lightly they brushed agains his own fingers.

"Who...Who's there?"

No reply, through he wasn't expecting one. He waited a few minutes and then started walking, maybe it had been his imagination.

Through it stopped being his imagination when he heard the slight hiss of fabric against the marble flooring under his feet and the sounds of someone taking a step back. That and something was dripping, Riku could clearly hear it now and wondered how he didn't before.

drip(SF)

"Hello?" It was stupid to just say "hello", but who ever it was had the advantage. You couldn't fight something you couldn't see, no matter how good you were at fighting.

drip(SF)

"Kikyou?" It could be Kikyou after all, he didn't know where the hallway she had taken led so it could be connected to the one he was in. Through it might also not be Kikyou. But who ever it was responded to the name anyway and intertwined his fingers with it's. The slimness of them indecatted that it was definatily a woman.

drip(SF)

Before he could say anything further he felt something brush against his face. It felt like cold fingers, too cold to be Kikyou's or a living person. Riku gasped and yanked his head away from the womans touch. With his arm at his side he felt along the wall to his side until he came upon what he was looking for.

A candle holder set into the stone. Using a simple fire spell, he lit the candle and closed his eyes from the sudden burst of light. When Riku opened his eyes he saw that the person holding his hand had black hair like Kikyou.

But wasn't her. Through she was familer.

The princess in front of him let her eyes adjust and then stared at him and quickly let go of him. Taking a step back Snow White put her right hand to her mouth since the other one was ummovable. "You! Why? Why can't you all just leave me alone! When I grasped you hand-"

"You thought I was someone else, and I you. It's been to long Snow White. What have you gotten yourself into now?"Riku asked in a flat tone. The last thing he needed was just another reminder of his already painful past.

"Me? I have don-Agggh!"Snow White gripped her damaged left shoulder and sraink to the ground in pain. Riku kneeled beside her and looked at her left shoulder. It was a suprise that he didn't see it before and another suprise that it was still connected to her body. The jagged, bloody, broken bones of what was once her left shoulder showed through the ripped fabric of her dress and skin like mountians and the puntured muscles and veins could also be seen. The dripping sound he had heard was her blood flowing out of the wound. No wonder Snow White looked pale then Kikyou and was so cold.

"Don't try to talk and don't faint either or you won't wake up anytime soon." Riku put his hand over her right hand and the wound and was starting to do a Curaga (sorry if I misspelled that) when Snow White stopped him.

"That...huff...huff...won't work here. The Queen, she-Agggh!"Snow White bit her lip as she tried again to talk without screaming."She came back and her spell won't alow any healing magic incept her own. It's a wonder you can even do magic at all! But then again, you are working with her!"

Riku frowned, she still had energy to yell at him. "Look, I'm not the same person as I use to be, otherwise I would have slapped you from here to Traverse town for yelling at me! And I wouldn't have tried to help you either! So stop glareing at me, yelling at me, and just accept that I'm the only help you have!"

The princess before him looked stunned. She couldn't believe that he had changed or that he was helping her. Yet he was right, right now all the help she had was his help and his alone. Snow White nodded her head and looked down at his hand over her own. Riku quickly let go of her and looked down at the ground. No wonder she thought he was going to hurt her!

"You're right, but not even your help can help me. Not yours, the Kings, or even the keyblade wielder this time. The Queen has turned everyone in me and my loves court into monsters and turned this castle into a death trap! I'm lucky I'm still alive, but that's only because I'm needed in helping her help Ansem, The Qu-"

"What about Ansem!"Riku yelled and shoke Snow White by her shoulders, even through it hurt her.

"Ow, unhand me!"

"No. Tell me what you know or I'll...I'll kill you."Riku looked straight at her and his eyes turned a dangerous shade of green. He meant every word. (ask me about the eye thing later)

"Th-th-The Queen has agreed to help Ansem in exchange for my kingdom. Acorrding to her, Ansem said that a young woman and his puppet would come here in seek of something they had lost and that The Queen was to assist in separateing them and getting a hold of some gem. Ansem also promised her power as well, unmentionable power!"

'Kikyou...Dammit, I helped separate us! I'm such a fucking idiot, jewel or no jewel, Kikyou might-'Riku cut off his thoughts and stood up to take out his sword.

"Take me to her."

Scar sat up and licked his paw and then procceeded to rub it across his forehead. Through watching Ansem watch those two "teenagers" was fun, he would rather take a bath.

Ansem smiled evilly (duh, he's evil) and turned his head toward Scar. "You find me boring don't you?"

"No,"Scar said and yawned, exposeing his sharp teeth and fangs in the process."I just find you a little confuseing. You had the chance to kill Riku and take Kikyou awhile back. Why go through all this when she and that trinket of hers was right in the palm of your hands? Why even bother with the girl as well?"

Ansem laughed at Scar's words and several heartless stirred and looked up at their master with suprise and confusion as well.

"Why? Because you can't have one with out the other. Just as peoples hearts are drawn to darkness, they are also drawn to the light. Plus,"Ansem smiled more fully, showing off fangs of his own. (He's evil, so he has fangs, so there!) "you can't use a gun if you don't have bullets. Nor a key without a lock."

Scar nodded sleeply and laid his head on his paws and yawned. "That still doesn't explain Riku."

Ansem looked thoughtfull for a moment then turned to look at the play unfolding before him. "I'm rather fond of my "puppet" and he serves his purpose. Whether he knows it or not, he is helpping the jewel, myself, and his percious Kikyou to open the curtains on this new part of the endless play."

Scar didn't say anything and Ansem didn't explain. Instead they both watched a rather upset priestess continue to fight against both something she could understand and yet could not.

"Let go of me!"Kikyou yelled at the once handsome man in front of her and tried to peel his fingers off her shoulder. Finding she couldn't, and that he gripped her shoulder even tighter, Kikyou panicked and her mind turned into a complete blank. What was once The Prince smirked evily and gripped her shoulder even tighter, feeling the bone underneath creak from the viase like grip and weight.

The thought "I'm going to die" whispered faintly in the back of Kikyou's head and she started to slowly cry. It wasn't the first time she had cried and it wasn't the first time that she was in a life or death situation, yet it seemed more real and depressing. And without Riku ever knowing about what she truly felt...

"Please...."Kikyou said slowly, not knowing really that she was even speaking."Please, you can't kill me." She reached out a half numb arm and held on weakly to The Prince's (getting tired of typeing that) blood stained shirt.

He looked down at her and the smile on his face fadded a little, something about her remained him of someone.

-flashback-

He had stopped crushing the woman in front of him shoulder and she looked up weakly at him and started to cry.

"Please you can't-"

-end flashback-

"-kill me..."

A wave of voices flooded The Prince's head. Some were his own, some were someone that he loved, and another was someone that he had thought dead repeating over and over to harm the person in front of him.

What was right and what was wrong?

He quickly let go of Kikyou's shoulder and held his head in pain. Kikyou stopped crying and looked in front of her shocked. Why did he let go of her?

"Aggghhhhhhh!" The scream echoed off the hallways and Kikyou held her hands over her ears, sure that her eardrums would break. When the scream stopped she looked at the unmoveing figure in front of her.

Maybe he wasn't so evil, but she couldn't trust him or know for sure. Kikyou waited for a few minutes then reached out a hand to touch him. "Are you....alright?"

He slapped her hand away and growled out. "What are you doing standing around for? I could change back anytime! Run!"

Kikyou took a step back, suprised from his demand, and then questioned him: "But what about you, don't you-"

He looked up at her, half crazed and half sane. "RUN!"

Kikyou took another step back and was about to turn around when she heard the clank of armor behind her. A hand gripped hers weakly and she looked down at the man that was going to kill her.

"That way...hurry..."With that, he collapsed and Kikyou ran in to the door that he was pointing too and closed the door behind her.

She didn't stop running until she heard the sound of running water and saw light ahead of her. Kikyou leaned against the stone wall to her left and tried to catch her breath.

'Whatever had happened back there I must forget, for my own sake as much as Riku and the others in this castle. But-'Kikyou stopped thinking and voiced what she was going to say out loud. "But this also means that the enemies that I encounter in this castle still have a human heart."

Snow White broke the silence bettween her and her former captor with a question. "This girl you're thinking about must be quite important."

"Wha?"Riku said and turned his head quickly to look at the princess by his side."I never mentioned a girl."

"Yes, you didn't. But you don't have to be a idiot to figure out that the "puppet" Ansem was talking about and you are the same person. Just like the girl he mentions is the one in your thoughts."

Riku narrowed his eyes at her again. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing."Snow White quickly replyed and then smiled a little."Besides, it's not like I said you two were lovers or something, don't be so offensive Riku."

"I-I'm not!"Riku blushed and looked away from her. Her words reminded him of this morning.

Snow White giggled from his embarrassement and then looked thoughtful. "I used to say the samething to myself. "I'm not in love with him because I don't know him", "I can't, or "I won't". But in the end I found out that he wasn't just passing by, that my lover was here to stay. If this girl, Kikyou, means something to you-"

Riku turned another shade of crimson and studyed the stone paneling to his right and away from her. "She doesn't mean anything to me, were just stuck together..."

Snow White frowned then leaned toward him and smiled. "So you will not complete your love for Kikyou?"

If possible, Riku turned even redder in the face. "What!? No! NO! Hell no! That-th-"

"That's not what?"Snow White teased him further and Riku tried to block out dirty thoughts. Through one of him and Kikyou wouldn't leave him alone.

In his mind the scene from this morning mixed with the last act of sex (see chapter one through it won't give you any details) he had taken part in mixed together.

"THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!!"he yelled at the woman next to him. Snow White stopped to regain her hearing and Riku stopped to regain his breath.  
When they started walking again Snow White finally smiled and Riku just yelled at her again. "Wipe that smile off your face and stop being such a fucking matchmaker! She probably has a boyfriend in her own world!"

"But what if she doesn't?"asked Snow White innoccently.

"AAAAAAAAAaGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST SAY!!"

"That you will complete your love for Kikyou?"

Riku's mouth dropped open, she was doing this on propose. "Just shut the hell up and lead me to your bitch of a stepmother."

Snow White pouted and Riku tried to get more dirty thoughts out of his head.

He had a feeling this was going to take longer then he thought.

* * *

Agggh! And now for my own agony! Spell check and reread everything. Why does my XP WordPad not come with a spell check Lord? Why!?

Oh ahem, well Merry Christmas. I finished part of the Snow White world chapter and yes, I do enjoy screwing up Disneys heartwarming crap that they feed youngsters. No, I don't hate Snow White. But when it comes to makeing woman look pathtic, Disneys first movie Snow White takes the cake. I'm not one of those menarepigs woman but I don't really want to watch something where the main woman seems to do alot of....nothing. I perfer Aladdin or Beauty and the Beast. Which I will not include in this story or ruin in anyway shape or form. And another yes for the fact that I love horror. I just ador it along with mystery and supernatrual horror. Something about horror, mystery, and the supernatrual is just so good....Just like Christmas cookies! Yay!

I guess it's because it's unexpected. Like any moment something could pop out and tap you on the shoulder or some person could decied to make you into a toothpick with something sharp because they have a very destirbed mind. Or maybe someone will steal something or hide the truth from you. We expect romance and comedy, we welcome them, but such things as death or evil we don't expect because we don't think it will happen. But most of the time death or evil happens more then comedy or romance.

But I was listening to hyper sweet songs on some parts and felt bad about my attempt at horror and blood and gore. So I added some comedy/romance and hoped that no one would hate this chapter. Through it jumps from comdey to horror a lot. And some parts just feel wrong, like how Kikyou got away from The Prince, I really can't see her crying unless Riku died or something like that...Well lets blame it on the jewel and not my sorry writing skills shall we?

Next chapter, more castle maddness as Riku getts lead to the Queen and Kikyou comes to terms with the fact that she has to kill those who still have a human life unless she lets them kill her. And that isn't happening, because that would be crappy just like this summary of the next chapter. lol

Hmmm...I haven't done this in a long time but, listen to this by reading: Anything by move and Amuro Namie's Put 'Em Up and So Crazy, because I like the beat but I don't know the words so don't look like this 0.0. And Ayumi Hamasaki's Duty and some other songs by her. What am I? Your DJ? Listen to anything you want!

And as usual (drum roll), take it away Sora!

Sora: Alright then, it's over folks! Go home and don't drink too much egg nogg! That and if you celebrate Kwanzaa (like Jazz7), or Christmas, Or whatever, then have a good weekend! Merry-insert holiday-to you all!

Kairi: And fruitcakes are good, so eat them! Yum!

Riku: Dammit! Who ate my drugged up fruitcake! It took me forever to afford that much illegal drugs and fruitcake ingredients!

Kairi: (stoned) Wha fruicak? We don' hav no friking fruicak? (falls down and begins to laugh)

Ansem: Dammit you all! Shut the hell up or I might miss Santa Claus!

Scar:...That is BEYOND stupid.

Sora: Yeah it really is and where the hell is MY Kikyou or my mistletoe by the way!?

Kikyou:....'Hope he doesn't notice me standing behind the Christmas tree...' (the jewel starts blinking like crazy)

Ansem: It's Santa! (dives toward the Christmas tree and knocks it over, exposeing Kikyou in the process)

Sora: Yay! (jumps over and latchs himself to Kikyou)

Kikyou: Goddammit! I'm not yours, I'm not your type, and you have the very drugged up Kairi!

Sora: I don't care! She left me and I like the fact that you are so strong and powerful and I can heal your heart! Plus Inuyasha said you're a freak in the bed!

Kikyou: INUYASHA!  
Jazz7: Ouch, I think I know who's opening up a can of whoop ass for Christmas Eve! Please review so Sora and Inuyasha won't die and I can get Kairi into rehab for her drug addiction.

Review and Merry-insert holiday-!


	11. Destruction

Aw, thanks for the reviews DivineShana and Angel of Light and Darkness. They really helped fuel me to write another new chapter, dispite the fact that I have a ear ache and feel like I just got ran over. Thanks! And thank you Divine Shana for wishing me a Happy Kwanzza, Merry Christmas to you.

Oh and whoever ...( ) is I want to say this: YOU SUCK YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU DIDN'T EVEN READ THE WHOLE DAMN STORY YOU ASSHOLE! YOU JUST REVIEWED AND SAID: "it sucks"! HOW ABOUT TELLING ME WHAT "sucks" ABOUT IT, HUH!? I ACCEPT CRITISM, BUT ONLY IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING INTELLGENT TO SAY! I KNOW THE FIRST CHAPTER WASN'T THAT GREAT, BUT AT LEAST IT WAS OKAY! AND NEXT TIME GROW A FUCKING BRAIN AND DON'T WASTE MY TIME!

Evil Jazz7: Well I guess that's why you don't piss me off. Any one else want some?

Everyone in the room: (shakes head)

Evil Jazz7: I didn't think so! God, I hate Kikyou haters, rasict people, idoits, and people that can't leave a intellgent review.

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

Chapter 11: Destruction

_Try going past that broken memory,_

_I can't promise that there won't be any pain_

_Living only in the moment, that's a bit foolish_

_Holding on to morals when they can't help you,_

_is even more foolish_

Just one more step, just one more and she would be...  
Kikyou didn't know where she would be. She was lost and ,maybe for the thousandth time, a little scared. Kikyou also felt like crying, at this rate she would never return back to her own world and she could die just standing here.

Her knees buckled and she was now kneeling on the ground with one hand closed around the jewel that had got her into all this mess.

'That's not true, I got myself into this mess. If I had just let myself get yelled at by mom for leaveing the cat outside, if I had only not made such a big fuss about not being able to go anywhere, maybe if I had just faked being sick so I wouldn't have to go to the prom! God, why me? Why not Kagome? Why not anyone else? I'm not special, I'm just scared and weak...'

That's not true. Kikyou WASN'T weak. And Kagome would crack under this kind of pressure. It was too late to start with the "if onlys" and "maybes".

Kikyou put her left palm against the cold, brick wall on her left and started to pull herself up, all the while trying to pull herself together and be devoud of emotion. Emotions could get one killed here and she could no long depend on others or be scared or weak. She had to fight to get out of here, and to see Riku again.

Standing up to her full height, Kikyou frowned and nodded her head. 'Yes, I'll have to just cut through these problems and deal with it. I can't depend on anyone but myself now, not even Riku.

After a minute of thinking on her plan of action, Kikyou notched a arrow in her bow and ran towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

Standing tall and fearless is what makes a person and as long as she had even one breath inside her she would be fearless.

For herself as well as the people she was hopeing to see again.

* * *

"Up ahead and beyond those doors is The Queen's chamber. No doubt she will be waiting for you."Snow White said above a whisper. They didn't have to whisper, but they did anyway. Even through The Queen could probably still hear them.

"Thanks, I'll go in alone."Riku took a step forward to continue with out Snow White when she reached our a hand and stopped him.

"No, I'll go too. My husbands there! Even if I die...I want to see him. Even if I die by....his hand."she let go of his arm and Riku gave her a small smile.

"Okay, but leave the fighting to me." Snow White laughed at his small joke and followed behind him.

The hallway they were now in was painted in royal shades of blue, red, and purple. The touches on the wall gave it adquite light, unlike the rest of the chambers, and seemed to light as they got near one. As the last touches in front of the Queens chambers came to life so did the doors, they opened of their own accord and without human help.

Riku paused in front of the doors but then stepped inside the chamber in front of him. For Kikyou's sake, as well as his own, he couldn't stop now. Exspecially if Kikyou was hurt or dieing, if she was then...

He closed his hands at his sides into fists, just thinking about her being hurt angered him. What kind of game was Ansem playing? But whatever it was, he wasn't going to let Kikyou become just another pawn like he had become a long time ago.

Once he and Snow White were inside the doors slammed shut behind them and the sound reveberated off the cream and peach walls around them. The Queen was no where in site, nor her "prince", but that didn't mean she wasn't there.

Snow White turned around and tested the doors they had come through, just as she thought, they were locked. She turned to Riku only to see that instead of suprised, he was angry.

Riku fast walked over to the center of the room, looked up at the white ceiling above them, and then scream. "Where the hell are you!? Come out, I'm not playing your fucking game any longer! You bitch...YOU FUCKING BITCH! Come out and stop hideing! Or better yet, bring that basterd that you work for out here!!" Riku stopped screaming and then looked down at the white marble flooring. Why? Why wasn't she here? Was Kikyou okay?

Snow White started to go toward Riku to comfort him when a voice, The Queen's voice, stopped her.

"A bitch am I? It seems that Ansem should have trained his puppet better when it came to manners."

Riku turned around and stared at the woman he had hoped would hear him and come out. He took out his sword and pointed it at her. "There you are, I was looking for you but I guess you're pretty hard on hearing. Where the hell is Kikyou?!"

The Queen smiled and before her materilized a mirror. "Look and see."she said and Riku frowned but did as she said. Slowly comeing into focus was Kikyou.

Or what once had been her.

Her broken body was laying in a pool of fresh blood and her empty rib cage showed that half of what was in her had been ripped out and either eatten or done away with. There was no question that she had died painfully and her eyes showed the horror she went through. That and the jewel was also missing, not that that really mattered at all to Riku.

Riku took a step back and the color drained from his face. The monster in front of him started crackling evilly. "It seems you are too late! The jewel has been taken and Kikyou has been disposed of. Maybe if you had spent your time looking for her instead of me she would still be alive."

The Queen walked toward him while still holding the mirror and Riku took a step back. He couldn't say anything to counter her claim, for it was the truth wasn't it?

"Or maybe if you hadn't angered her, but it's too late now. Because she's already dead!"with that The Queen laughed again and Riku's sword fell from his numb hand. He couldn't move or speak, all he could do was stare at the mirror in front of him.

"It's not true Riku! She's a queen of lies! She's lieing to you! That mirror holds no more truth then her words do!"Snow White yelled and tried to run toward them only to get caught in a bear hug by her own husband who appeared out of no where. She cried out as he held on to her tighter.

Whether it was the scream or her words, Riku snapped out of his parlization and glared daggers at The Queen. Seeing that he was no longer buying her words or the mirror's image, she took a step back and smiled nervously. Riku picked his sword off the floor and stabbed the mirror in The Queen's hands. It broke and the mirror fell from her hands.

"So your a lier, huh? Well you can't trick me twice, die!!"Riku yelled at her then slashed at her throat. The blade barely missed and The Queen took out a staff and countered his second attack.

Riku dodged and blocked two of TQ's (short for The Queen, since I get tired of writing her name) attacks and then used a Gravirga spell against her. TQ countered it with one of her own and then smiled wickedly.

"So you DO want to fight me. It's a shame really, I would rather wait tell the wielder of the jewel got here so I could kill two birds with one stone!"after shouting this at him she threw a unknown spell at Riku flying into the wall behind him. It also seemed to knock him out cold.

Seems like they would wait after all.

The room Kikyou entered was the throne room. The sand colored walls and the sound of the rushing water running though the two inch wide slitts in the floor reminded one of the beach or a river. It was suppost to give one a feeling of calm and peace, but to Kikyou it just gave her a feeling of emptyness.

Looking toward the throne, she could see that there was only one solitary gray stone throne. Kikyou walked toward it and kneeled in front of it. Something wasn't right about this throne...

"I was right."Kikyou said under her breath to herself while running her hands on the raised ground below the throne."Something was here before this, the stone under here is ruff and chipped. Looks like someone was in a hurry to move in..."

Kikyou stood up and climbed on to the stone throne to look around. The room was vast and empty with several dark entrances hallways leading to unknown rooms and more hallways. No sign of Riku or the owners of the castle. Sighing, Kikyou sat on top of the throne and put her face in her hands.

'Great...now what to do?'she thought to herself. After a few seconds she decieded to walk through one of the openings to heaven knows where and find Riku instead of waiting for him. She was going to get down from the throne when the clank of armor made her stop.

Two knights entered the throne room from the way she had just came, they turned their heads to look at Kikyou and grunted as they took out their swords. Kikyou heard another clank of armor and looked behind her, three more came out of an other entrance and soon more came from other entryways to the throne room. She was now surrounded.

Kikyou used her bow and shot a arrow through the head of one and then hopped down from the throne. Some part of her wanted to protest what she was about to do, but she wouldn't let it.

She had to kill them, they may be innoccent and be controlled by someone, but it's her or them.

And she chose herself.

Notching two more arrows in her bow, Kikyou fired them at one to her left and dodged a diagonal slash from her right. She killed another knight and then ducked another diagonal slash from another. The sword went through a knight in front of her and drenched her in blood, turning her blue dress into a dark red and blue one. Kikyou stood up and used a Thundaga spell on the rest.

Kikyou turned her back on the bodies and began walking when she heard the clank of armor in back of her again. She smiled to herself and notched another arrow.

This might take a little longer then she thought.

* * *

You can't gain anything unless you take something away. And what she threw away was her old morals.

'Murder is a crime, yet why can't I feel guilty over it?'Kikyou thought from herself as she pulled one of her arrows out of a knights head. Blood spurted up and Kikyou stepped back and missed some of it. She was already covered in blood, she didn't need more.

Wipeing her arm across her forhead she saw that her face was also covered in it. Kikyou looked down at the slitts in the floor. 'Might as well clean up alittle...' She kneeled down and washed the blood off her face and arms. After that was finished she looked at the now blood red water sadly and sighed.

"I can't be the same person I used to be. Or maybe this is the real me?" The question echoed off the walls and within herself. For now it would have to be left unanswered. Making herself think about it wouldn't help either. There were more important things to do.

Like find Riku.

Kikyou ran toward the entryway she had came out of, she thought she knew what door Riku had taken. So all she had to do was double back to the main hallway and go through one more hallway and then find Riku.

And deal with however made all those people she killed into monsters of course.

His head hurt, his whole body hurt, hell, even his hair hurt. But then again, he had slammed into a wall hard enough to break every bone in his body. He should be dead.

But he wasn't. Riku stood up and rubbed the back of his head with his right hand. When he studied his right hand he saw that he was bleeding and he spit up some blood.

"Ah, he awakes!"The Queen exclamied and then smiled as he wiped the blood off his face. "I have good news for you though, the wielder of the jewel will arrive soon."

Riku turned to look at her and then yelled at her: "Stop calling her that! Her name's Kikyou dammit! I'm not a puppet either and neither is she!" He picked up his sword and was about to charge at her when the doors to the room slammed open.

All eyes turned to Kikyou as she looked around and then finally locked eyes with the witch that had put her through hell. "So your the one that owns this castle..." Kikyou then turned and looked at Snow White and The Prince. She stepped toward them and notched a arrow in her bow.

"Wha...What are you doing?!"Snow White yelled. Kikyou looked at her and pulled the arrow and the bows string back.

"Just putting you out of your misery."Kikyou said and then released the arrow and it hit both Snow White and the prince in stomach, the two fell to the ground unconsience.

Riku looked suprised by the The Queen looked happy. "It's just as Ansem said...You are being tainted."

Kikyou looked at her, disgusted with what she said. "Ansem says alot of things doesn't he? Well I'm not tainted, I'm just doing what I have to do. Those two will live but you can't control them by they're uncosience."

"And here I thought you were taking my job."Riku said with a small smile and Kikyou turned and smiled at him.

"You're hurt..."Kikyou said by seeing that he was bleeding.

"It's just a scratch."Riku replied.

"It's going to be more then a scratch, now that you are also here I can kill two birds with two stones."TQ said cutting off any other converstation as she took out her staff again.

Kikyou used a curaga spell on Riku and then used a Aeroga spell on both of them. Another one of TQ's unknown spells (I don't know what to call it, lol) came at them, this time it was two beams of dark energy. Both Kikyou and Riku dodged and found them selfs standing back to back.

"We're going to have to watch out for those spells of hers."Riku said as he watched TQ charge up for another attack.

"I have a plan...If we get rid of her staff she can't cast magic. Then all you have to do is hack and slash at her until she dies."Kikyou whispered to him so TQ wouldn't hear and then notched a another arrow in her bow. Riku grinned, so she was learning something about battle.

After a silent one, two, three count, Riku ran to the right and Kikyou to the left. Being the fool that she is, TQ tried to hit Riku instead of Kikyou. Riku dodged the Queens lesser magic and managed to jump over the energy she had charged up earlier to attack her. He got hit by her staff and flew back a couple feet though.

Kikyou looked briefly at him to make sure he okay and then charaged up her own energy. The staff, in better hands, could probably dish out a lot more power, so it just made it all the more dangerous. Kikyou kept her eyes on the target and looked to Riku before she released her now charaged up arrow.

Riku got hit by another blast of TQ's magic, it was the same one that had knocked him out cold before. This time however, he struck his sword into the marble flooring so he wouldn't get blown away, it seemed to work. Riku turned to look at Kikyou and saw was watching him. "I'm alright! Just shoot the damn thing!"

Kikyou nodded and smiled, then did as he said. The arrow hit the glowing gem on top of the staff and it broke into pieces. TQ screamed and was engoulfed in some kind of blue fire. When it was gone she was reduced to her true form, a ugly old woman.

Riku took a step toward her and the old woman took a step back. "I'm still the queen of this castle and I won't give it up to anyone!" TQ still had some life in her, she threw another one of her spells at him, but this time it had less power.

"We've had enough out of you."Riku hissed at her and then charged toward her and cut off her head. For a minute it stayed in place, a shocked impression implanted on it, then it fell off and her body sake to the floor. A wave of energy came out from her remains and turned whoever was left in the castle to their normal selves.

Kikyou looked toward Snow White and The Prince and saw that they were wakeing up. She removed her arrow from them and then handed Snow White a elixer. It wouldn't completely heal her shoulder, but it would help it.

Turning to Riku, she smiled and then frowned as she saw he was stareing at her a little sadly.

"You're all bloody..."

"What? I had to get to you some how, that and I finally came to peace with what I am."said Kikyou as she walked toward him.

"And what's that?"Riku asked as she stood in front of him. Kikyou didn't say anything but stared into his eyes for a second and then replied.

"A person that wants to get home no matter what...I can't continue with this quest and not kill anyone can I?" Riku sighed at her words and then embraced her. Kikyou gasped out in suprised from the supriseing action, and then held on to him.

"I guess this means I won't be doing all the "hacking and slashing", huh?"

Kikyou smiled at his joke and then answered his question. "You can still do it, but I'll help conceal the bodies. Since I'm the only one that thinks before I leap anyway."

Riku was going to reply to her comment but didn't, instead he just smiled and didn't let her go. Kikyou did the same.

"Ah, what a cute couple! Don't you think honey?"Snow White said while clapping her hands. Riku and Kikyou pulled away and blushed. Embarrassed more by the fact that she had been watching them then her words.

The Prince stood up and clapped also. "Ha, kids these days. All embarrassed by love and the lot."

Riku turned to glare at him. "We're NOT in love! I was just worried about her that's all!"

"Then why are you blushing?"Snow White teased and Riku turned away from the both of them so he wouldn't see that his face had turned completely red.

"I agree with Riku,"said Kikyou."We're just friends really."

"Well anyway,"The Prince said."thank you for restoring our Kingdom."

Kikyou was about to reply when she sensed something in back of her and turned around. In back of her was another soul, time the soul of The Queen. It flew towards her and Kikyou put up her hands to stop it from hitting her. It did no good though and went inside the jewel around her neck. The jewel glowed and then turned back to it's dull color.

Riku stared at her in suprise, this had happened once before when she was possessed, he hadn't expected it to happen again.

Kikyou turned to Riku with a pained experssion, how would this change how he felt about her?

Instead of looking at her like a monster, Riku looked suprised and then looked at the jewel around her neck. "Well no wonder everyone wants that thing. So I guess this happens to everyone we fight. That means we have to find more information about that also."

"Look!"Snow White cried as some bright light appeared behind them. It was the last light they were looking for. Riku stepped toward it and touched it. After the bright light had disappeared they were back to their normal age.

Kikyou looked down at herself and smiled. "Now all that's left if to go back home and defeat Ansem."

"So he is really back, and you two are going to stand against him? Even though you are alone in your cause?"The Prince asked.

"So what? We're alone, but were stronger than anyone else. I don't care if it's just us or half of the universe, all I do care about is getting her home and killing the man that took ten years of my life!"

Snow White smiled saddly at them and stood up. "Then we shall help you, what do you need?"

Kikyou smiled at her for her willness to help. "I doubt you could help us, but I could need a bath and maybe my clothes could use a wash?"

After Kikyou got her request fulfilled Snow White and The Prince requested to see them one more time before they left.

"Lots of destruction has happened to his land because of Ansem, and maybe because of you two also."Snow White said. The pervious throne in the throne room had been replaced with the old one, and now her and her husband were sitting side by side. The bodies and water had also been cleaned up.

Kikyou looked down at the ground saddly. "If this is about what I did to your men..."

"No, it's not about that. Don't beat yourself up about it, the knights families don't hold a grudge against you and neither do I."The Prince said and stood up as his wife stood up.

"Then, what is this about?"Kikyou asked, still not completely convinced that what she did couldn't have been avoided, but at least she wasn't going to cry about it like she did last time. She was true to her word, she had made peace with it.

"I still want to help even if there isn't much I can do. So I want to give you something I found, it might help you."

Snow White picked up a box that had been sitting besides her. She took off the lid and took out the object inside. It was a small bracelet. (think of chapter seven). "This should protect you agianst all magical attacks. Well most of the time anyway."

Riku took the object from Snow White's hand and handed it to Kikyou. Kikyou smiled and handed it back to him. "You'll need it more then I, since you were the one that got knocked out before I could even get to you."

Riku glared at her. "Well where were YOU anyway?"

"Um, guys? Lets not fight."Snow White said nevously. Riku calmed down and took the bracelet from Kikyou's hands, somedays you just can't win with her.

(on the gummi ship)

Riku drived silently until Kikyou broke the silence. "Where to now?

He turned to look at her and answered her question. "Traverse town. I know someone that might be able to tell us what that jewel around your neck is. If we are going to continue trying to find Ansem, we should at least know what the hell it is."

Kikyou nodded in agreement and looked down at the thing that everyone seemed to want. It looked back at her and Kikyou seemed to think it was watching her.

Who knows, maybe it's alive.

* * *

Yay! The chapters finished, I finished this in what....5 to 6 hours. That a new record!

Sora: Not really, you finished a chapter for "Gift of Humanity" in two hours. So that wouldn't be a new record.

Jazz7: (glares at Sora) What the hell would you know? Your a pervert and a idoit.

Sora: (shruggs and goes to get more egg nogg)

Riku: I'm suprised, he didn't try to counter that with some corny saying.

Kairi: Maybe he's learning how to stop saying all that "heart" and "power of the keyblade" stuff.

Ansem: Or maybe he just couldn't find anything that rhymed with pervert.

Scar: (sighs) Probably...

Jazz7: Well I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. And about the item thing, I tried to make this as realistic as possible. So that's why you see all that item crap, since how else could they still be standing after getting hit with all that magic, going through places with very high or very low tempetures, or anything else like that? But don't worry, that stuff won't pop up again. I get tired of writting it, plus it only reminds me that I don't own anything! (crys sadly from the fact)

Riku: Don't cry, at least you own the plot to this.

Jazz7: Yeah thanks Riku. That and if anyone else flames me I'm going to bitch like crazy in the next chapter. I officially hate half the people on this site! God, why do people have to be such assholes!

Ansem: Too bad you can't beat them up.

Evil Jazz7: We can humilate them though. (smiles evily)

Good Jazz7: Well hope you enjoyed this chapter! Next chapter: Riku and Kikyou got to Traverse town and find out what the jewel really is. That and another excitting battle. Yay! Now go on and hit the review button!


	12. Extra: Oneshot: Romancing the Chief

I just realized that I haven't done much work on this than on My Will and rewriting chapters one to four. So I felt guilty, tried reading some other fan fiction, heard the theme song for KH and decided to make it up to you all by this short one-shot/chapter. This has nothing to do with what's going on in the story now. It's just a one-shot/chapter. I hope you all will accept this as a apology for not updating in months. I'll try to update everything I'm working on now.

Oh and because I did this in My Will: Please visit my website. I know, I know, it doesn't have cool stuff like music you can download and wallpapers or icons (which is on my other site), but it would really mean a lot to me if you visit it. And in the future you will have to if you want to read some other fan fiction of mine. I'll still post fan fiction on this site, but I'll also post some other ones on my website. So go to my profile, click the link, and visit please. Thanks. :)

Oh and another thing: I have no idea what this is about. I just started tying. So yeah. I think this is set before Kikyou and Riku finally met Ansem face to face and before the 6th chapter. Somewhere around when they were living together.

And Yeah I guess this would sort of be the romance part of this fan fiction. But you really won't get much to tell you the truth. I think.

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

Oneshot: Romancing the Cheif

* * *

This evening, like most evenings in Kingdom Hearts, came quick, cool, and for the most part quiet. The darkness passing over the land only equal to the heartless and only illuminated by the street lamps. At Riku's small apartment the kitchen window was open, letting out the burned smell of food.

"See, I told you I couldn't cook."

Kikyou glanced at Riku with a faint scowl on her face. At least he hadn't burned the house down, but there went dinner. It seemed the only things Riku could really do was fight, tease, and look pretty.

Kikyou, who had been cooking for her family since she was six and had even mastered French cuisine when she was only just starting out in middle school, could hardly believe that a grown man that had been living with a kitchen for years couldn't even make soup. Soup out of a can that is.

Riku glanced at Kikyou's angry face and gave her his usual sly smile, holding back a chuckle at how she took this so seriously. Until Kikyou had came into his life he had been living on fast food, restaurants and, when he had a girlfriend, his girlfriend's cooking. Learning how to cook had never even seemed to cross his mind. In fact it seemed girly to him and ridiculous to even try twice.

Kikyou looked at his sly grin and narrowed her eyes. It almost seemed like he was making fun of her and her attempts to civilize him. What did he think was always going to happen? She wasn't always going to be here to cook for him and it was just dumb luck that he still contained his lean figure after all these years of unhealthy eating.

"Fine, make fun of me all you want! But when you get sick or come upon a world with out a burger shop-"

"I'm not making fun of you." Riku said coldly. Kikyou stopped mid sentence and ceased glaring at him. "I just don't see what's the point."

Kikyou put up a hand to counter him then decided not to even try. Let him be cold and criticizing all he wants. Fighting with him was a never ending battle. Kikyou turned to get rid of the slop in the badly burned pot in front of them, then turned to wash the dishes.

Riku, who was still waiting for Kikyou to spit the latest round of venom from her mouth to begin another battle of words, was surprised at her silence. While Kikyou attempted to salvage the pot, Riku stared at her. The silence that filled the room was occasionally broken by the sound of a car passing out side, but besides that there was nothing but the dish water and the pot being washed.

After several minutes of silence and Riku staring at her, Kikyou decided to say that she was sorry when a pair of hands appeared over her own. Gloveless hands that belonged to Riku.

Kikyou looked over her shoulder and gazed into Riku's emerald eyes he looked back and didn't say anything. Neither of them attempted to break the gaze which seemed to go on forever until Kikyou remembered where she was, what she was doing, and how she currently felt toward Riku. Kikyou looked away, a slight blush coming to her cheeks as she attempted to continue washing the pot.

Somehow, the situation seemed funny and Riku started laughing. A sound that echoed in Kikyou's ears and made her tremble slightly with how close they were. If his hands were some where else...

To break the thought Kikyou looked over her shoulder slightly and snapped: "And why exactly ARE you laughing?"

Riku stopped laughing and reached up to grasp her chin in his right hand. Kikyou's eyes widen slightly at the sudden touch, but she didn't turn away.  
"I suppose, maybe this is funny. Here we are, after burning-"

"You burned the soup. Not I." Kikyou interrupted. More to keep herself from getting lost in him touching her then to be rude.

Riku grinned, another sly smile that some how seemed more mysterious then sly to Kikyou. "Yes, I guess you're right. I burned the soup, and the pot from the looks of it."

"You...guess...?"

At the sound of Kikyou's wavy, faraway voice and the look of her clouded earth colored eyes Riku became a little of unsure of what he was saying and then regained himself. "I...I just think..."

"Yes...?"

"That..." Riku continued, unconsciously drawing his face closer to Kikyou's. "That, this moment, right now, is-"

"Is...funny...?" Kikyou asked in a slight whisper, drawing out each syllable slowly so she could say it. Words seemed to become a little harder to say.

The feel of her breath across his face, her deep eyes concentrated on only him brought out mixed emotions. One of which he wasn't proud of. Unknowing a slight blush spread across Riku's features and he could only reply with a "Yes".

The two of them drew in closer, and then...

There was a rather loud knock on the door followed by a teenager's voice announcing: "Pizza delivery! Is any body home!?"

This drew the both of them back to reality and apart from each other. What ever moment had been there was lost, thrown into space, and never to return. Riku literally jumped five feet away from Kikyou and Kikyou herself leaned against the counter with confusion in her eyes that gave way to anger.

'Oh shit...' Riku thought to himself. 'I forgot I ordered a pizza in case this experiment in cooking failed. Kikyou's going to kill me!'

And indeed, Kikyou now looked ready to kill as this time a crimson blush of anger spread across her face. Opening her mouth to scream, Kikyou yelled:

"RIKU YOU PERVERTED, IDOTIC, JERK!! YOU ORDERED A PIZZA!? YOU'RE SUPPOSE TO LEARN HOW TO COOK THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR!!"

Riku shrank down to one knee with his hands going to the sides of his head. She sure did have one loud voice when she got really angry, probably got it from her sister.

The pizza guy quickly decided that he didn't need a two dollar tip and his pizza job and made the right decision to leave.  
Kikyou picked up the still soaking pot and raised it above her head to strike something, or someone, with.

Whether her anger was out of the moment between them being ruined thanks to Riku, Riku touching her and starting a moment, or Kikyou herself melting into that moment, (or being still upset about him failing cooking even after she practically did everything for him and ordering a pizza) no one will ever know. Including Riku (who will probably have a concussion) and Kikyou (who will probably have a sore throat the next morning).

_(End of Chapter???)_

* * *

Well that was interesting! I'm pretty happy with how this turned out; which was a pinch of very funny, a dash cliffhanger romance, and a splash of the old fighting couple at the end. I wrote "End of Chapter???" at the end because I might make some more of these one shots to tie you guys over before the actual chapter.

I have to point out though that I'm not finished with the next two chapters. I made the next chapter then realized that the stuff in it was suppose to be after another chapter so then I had to make another chapter. Then I found out that the chapter that I made needed some fixing. So it might be awhile. I apologize for not updating sooner, but I go with the flow of my muse who isn't always there at work half of the time.

Muse: That's an insult!

Jazz7: I'm sorry, but it's the truth!

Ansem: You can't handle the truth!

Scar: Would you shut the hell up! Honestly, I'm never letting this guy watch old movies ever again.

Sora: Hey I liked that movie. Hmm...Jazz7...

Jazz7: Yes, Sora.

Sora: Why wasn't I in this chapter. I could have done better than Riku when it came to the sink scene.

Kairi: She knows you pervert. God, why can't he stop chasing everything in a skirt, he even went after Kagome.

Sora: What was that?

Kairi: Nothing.

Muse: Please review and visit Jazz7's website which you can locate on the profile page!


	13. Shikon no Tama Part One

**Author's Note: **Sorry about any spelling or grammar errors in the last chapter, I am trying to reduce those to 10 or less per chapter. In other news: I won't be updating my fan fiction once a month any more as you can see. I want to be a writer, so I'm going to focus on my original works for awhile. But don't worry, I will put out a new chapter or everything when I have time in between that and work.

That I'm trying to put my ideas in order. I want to figure out where this and some other works of mine are going. That and does anyone besides me think Kikyou is now not as ooc as she used to be? I mean, in the last 5 or so chapters she has gone from almost Kagome to now almost to her old demon killing self. Maybe that's what they call character development? But Riku is who I'm really trying to put into character, it's just so hard to keep characters from becoming ooc. Maybe because I always see many different sides to characters I'm writing about. I guess it's true, inside you is a kaleidoscope. Now if only I could focus Kikyou and Riku's kaleidoscope in this story...

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

Chapter 12: Shikon no Tama (jewel of four souls) -part 1-

* * *

'I need a break, a drink, and a sleeping pill.'

It had worked for him in the years he had first came to Kingdom Hearts. Underage or not, it had helped.

So far he had gone at least two days with out sleep, two days of driving the ship, trying to find out which direction was Traverse town, and dividing his time between watching Kikyou and what was in front of his face.

Not to mention that 'jewel'.

When he had first saw her, he thought she was an idiot runaway teenager that had gotten caught up in a losing brawl with a new type of heartless. And that the flash of light he saw, not to mention what he thought he saw before saving her, was all a misfire of the brain caused by having a girl ram into you in an attempt to save you.

But that changed. It all started to make sense.

Kikyou coming to this world, that light, how she got her bow, the wound in her side that mysteriously disappeared, her being possessed, and the souls that the jewel devoured before his very eyes.

The jewel and Ansem were the whole reason they were here. The jewel wanted Ansem and controlled Kikyou.

'No, its not controlling her it's-'

"Riku watch out!"Kikyou screamed at him and Riku turned the steering wheel sharply to the left to avoid ramming into a meteorite and then ceased the engines power to catch his breath.

'What a wake up call...' Riku thought, panting from exhaustion A warm hand appeared on his should and he looked up at Kikyou's worried face.

"You almost killed us both, try to be more careful next time." Her words were said in a tone that was partly comfort and partly nothing at all. Riku frowned and stood up, Kikyou removed her hand from his shoulder and walked away.

' "You almost killed us both", like I don't know that. There used to be a time when she was...Was what? She was always cold! But it's not like were on a pleasure cruise or something, how is she suppose to be! She's a teenager, I'm an adult, and Ansem would love to have the both of us over for tea. Wake the fuck up!' Sighing again from his thoughts and to keep from yawning, Riku sat down again at the controls of the gummi ship.

Kikyou watched Riku; controlling the words that desperately wanted to pass from her lips. Too much time had been wasted thinking on childish things, it was time to grow up. Or at least not act like he was going to leave. It was time to not act like her mother when it came to men.

Men could die, so could woman. After this was over Riku would--

'Stop thinking about that!' Kikyou scolded herself and bit her lower lip to keep the words in and herself from falling apart.

It was better to just stop thinking...

* * *

Riku and Kikyou didn't talk to each other till they reached Traverse town. On the outside the lights were almost painful to look at, and even more painfully bright once inside. But like moths to a flame they followed the city lights, their souls exhausted from pressure and fatigue.

Kikyou looked around at the town square. For all the brightness, it was surprisingly small and with few people. A pink cat (a moogle), a woman in a low cut dress leaning again a wall next to a couple of candlelit tables and chairs, some kid next to a weird looking statue with a hat, and a man next to a large door completed the crowd.

Welcome to Traverse town, where you can get blinded by the lights and bored by the people! At least Kingdom Hearts had people doing something, these people seemed dead.

Riku looked around also, searching for someone or something. Finally he sighed and turned to look at her. Their eyes met and Kikyou asked him: "What now?"

"See those tables over there? Wait there, I'll be back and with some information about the jewel too." Riku answered her question then held out his hand. Kikyou looked down at his hand with a puzzled expression and Riku laughed. "The jewel. I'll need it if I'm going to find out anything."

For a second Kikyou's faced clouded over with mistrust and, the most shocking of all, hatred. Then it was gone as quickly as it had come and she handed the jewel to him. Shaken, but not crushed, Riku walked away toward the large door to their left after putting the jewel in his pocket without once looking at it.

"Your just going to take the jewel and then leave me here!?" Kikyou yelled at him and her sudden outburst made Riku half turned at the door to smile at her. Not all of her was gone, there was still something to save. Then he was gone, leaving her in the middle of a city she didn't know.

Kikyou started to walk toward the door he had traversed through and then stopped, she didn't want a repeat of what had happened last time when they went their separate ways. It would be better for her to just, for once, do as he said and wait for him. If he didn't return in half a hour she would try to find him.

Kikyou walked toward the tables Riku had told her to wait by and sat in a chair. Staring at the blue candle in the middle of the table.

'15 minutes, after that I'm going to find him or die of boredom.'

'So she does care...'Riku thought to himself while looking around at the mostly blue section of town he had walked into. 'But what am I thinking? It doesn't matter if she cares or not, I'm just here to take her home. And after that I'll find some nice world to live in and chase a princess or two around.'

Normally the thought of sex or a hot woman in a dress would make him smile, but the combined thought of sex and Kikyou left him more than a little melancholy. She had been his companion, maybe a closer companion than Pocahontas and Li had ever been.

"What do I care if she leaves anyway?"Riku muttered under his breath and proceeded toward his destination. If there was one person that could tell him about magical items it would be the wizard Merlin that resides in Traverse town. That is if he was still here. He could have gone back to his own world, leaving both him and Kikyou out of luck.

The door with the red fire symbol was still there, that was a good sign. Riku pushed the door aside and walked into the hidden cavern behind it. The air was filled with the smells that were typically associated with caverns filled with water: earth, damp things, and stagnate water. Riku easily jumped from one moving stone to the next till he reached the island in the middle of the underground lake. The rundown house in front of him looked even more run down then when it was built, but somehow it still managed to stand.

'Better make this quick before the house collapses...' Riku thought to himself then walked inside and looked around.

The lights were still on, books were everywhere, and yet it still looked nicer inside than outside. That much had stayed the same but the wizard and the fairy godmother were gone.

"Great, just perfect. Who the hell do I have to beat the crap out of to get some answers!" Riku said to himself then started looking through a pile of books and random items to see where Merlin had gone too. After a few minutes Riku gave up his search and turned around to go back to Kikyou and get the hell out of Traverse town before someone recognized him. The last thing he needed were angry pitch fork wielding princesses with a death wish.

The first thing Riku noticed when he turned around was that he wasn't alone. The second thing he noticed was that the person with him was Merlin.

"Find anything interesting young man?" Merlin asked. He hadn't really left the room, he had just been trying out a new invisibility spell that he was perfecting.

More annoyed than embarrassed Riku went on the defense. "Cut the crap, okay? If you were here the whole time you COULD have said something or at least appeared. Now I need you to tell me a few things."

Merlin raised a eyebrow at his words then said: "Young people these days, so rude. May I ask what you want me to tell you?"

Riku glared at the old man in front of him and took the jewel out of his pocket. He dangled it in front of Merlin's face and then yelled at him: "Like I said "cut the crap"! Now just tell me what the hell this is and I'll leave here without cutting anything in half, like you."

Merlin squinted and moved his eyes glasses further up his nose, then his eyes widened and he took the jewel carefully from Riku's hands. Merlin ran across the room, shoved a pile of books aside and then reached up to grab a dusty, black book under the previous pile.

Merlin opened the book and muttered a few words to himself by walking back to Riku. As he stood in front of Riku speaking to himself, Riku grew impatient and Merlin found what he was looking for.

"This jewel, where did you get it from?"

Riku thought before answering the old wizard, making sure that the lie he was about to tell him wouldn't have any parts in it that would give away how or who it was from. Ansem could have paid him for all he knew? "I destroyed a demon and found it. I came here to see if it was worth anything, it sure seemed to help out that monster."

If Merlin knew he was lieing, he didn't let on. Instead he looked through his book and then nodded his head when he found the right page. "This is the Shikon no Tama." Merlin said with out pausing between words.

"Shit-on what?" Riku asked, confused by the foreign language and how fast the old wizard had talked.

Merlin handed the jewel back to him and nodded his head, repeating his words once more. "Shikon no Tama, it's Japanese for "jewel of four souls"."

'Four souls...That explains a few things...'

Merlin studied Riku's face while he was thinking, the young man seemed sadden by something for a few seconds then his face returned to being unreadable. "So," Riku said. "Tell me what this Shikon no Tama does. It has to be used for more then just looking pretty."

Merlin nodded his head again at Riku's words. "Its a lot more then just beautiful, it's dangerous too. Well at least to an untrained or emotionally damaged person. The Shikon no Tama, no, before I tell you that I should tell you the whole story."

"Hope this doesn't take forever, I don't have all the time in the world."

Merlin frowned at Riku's remark. "Don't worry, it won't take forever. Now it says here in both the book and my memory that this jewel was made because of a wish of a certain priestess"

"A priestess's wish?" Riku asked himself more then Merlin. Wondering why his heart seemed to beat more rapidly at Merlin's words. Maybe it was because of the word "priestess", Kikyou herself had said that she was one.

Merlin nodded his head a fourth time. "That is correct. All we really know was there was at first one priestess, a priestess named Midoriko. She was not just a priestess but a general in an army as well. Because of her powers of purity and her duty to protect humans from demons she was frequently attacked by demons. She fell in love with a man and him with her, but the demons decided to use this weakness against her. They corrupted the man's heart..."

'Why does that sound so familar?' Riku thought, his mind drifting away from the story.

"--making his love for Midoriko turn to hate. He attacked her and started a war which raged for seven days and seven nights, during this the priestess was almost killed. Using the last of her power she gathered up all the demons, including the man she loved, and sealed them inside her heart. This caused a jewel to form in her body, the jewel which you now hold in your hand. It is said that inside the jewel the battle still rages. For now the jewel is balanced, containing the powers of both good and evil. That's what makes it so powerful! It increases power for those with an evil heart and makes them nearly invincible. The Shikon no Tama has the power to grant its user a wish, but because of the mixture of good and evil in it, it is impossible to wish on it without evil side effects unless the wish is truly good and made with out any selfishness or evil feelings. Only one pure and with strong spiritual powers can truly handle it. But if the person handling it mind becomes unbalanced, or heart becomes unstable, or turn evil in even a slight way, then the jewel will either taint him or her and turn the person completely into a demon or control him or her."

Riku looked down at the violet gem in his hands, even now it seemed to be connected to Kikyou. "So that's why Kikyou became possessed that time..." Riku muttered under his breath, concern seeping into his words.

"Hmm? Whose Kikyou?" Merlin asked.

"No one, but tell me. Is it possible for a person to become unpossessed or tainted once the jewel takes over them completely?"

Merlin shook his head. "No. After the jewel has connected and possessed the persons mind, body, and soul, the process can not be reversed. Hopefully that will never happen to anyone."

"I hope so too. Thanks for the information." Riku said and started heading for the exit until Merlin stopped him by saying:

"I know who you are and who you used to be, the jewels not a toy, you can't completely control it. If I were you I'd find a way to destroy it."

Riku turned to glare at Merlin, his eyes flashing dangerously in the candle lit room. "Well you aren't me, and don't say that you know me because you don't! Now mind your own fucking business!" With that, Riku walked out of Merlin's house. Once he passed the door with the fire symbol, he ran all the way back to Kikyou. Hoping that even now the jewel wouldn't be turning her against him and herself.

Merlin watched him leave, a great sadness falling over him. Once he was one of the greatest heroes from the war against the heartless, now he was reduced to this. Whether he knew it or not, the jewel was slowly tainting him. Rather it was tainting him directly or through a person close to him, who he was obviously trying to protect, was yet to be known. Merlin slammed the book shut and sat in front of his crystal ball. The future was uncertain, the past unable to be seen, but the present was always there. If Sora couldn't reach him, then maybe the boy would be strong enough to save himself this time before it was too late.

* * *

Ansem watched and listened in on the tale with only a mild interest. All of this he had heard before, when he had been brought out of the darkness he had been told the tale of the two lovers and the power of the jewel born out of hatred. What Merlin and that book didn't know was there was a second side to the tale.

Even now, while Kikyou was letting the poison flow through her body unknowingly, the pages were turning.

Soon it would come down to a final conclusion, but not yet. It would take time, lots of time maybe, till that happened.

Everything was connected, even a story lost in time.

* * *

Kikyou was starting to get impatient. It seemed that she had been waiting for him forever. Even if it wasn't forever, or even only thirty minutes, where was he?

In the back of her mind she could hear her mind whispering to her: 'Maybe he's not coming back, maybe he's gone. Would it be so hard to believe after so many times the two of you have faced death. Or maybe he's just like-'

Kikyou shook her head to clear the thoughts away. She never thought about what happened to her father, why did she think about it now? It only caused her to grow angry and sad that she couldn't change what had happened in the past. Because of him her mother had turned on herself, mutilating herself in a foolish attempt to be with him. Even now she could be dying without her, thinking that she too had left her. Kikyou had vowed to herself when she was just a child, too little to understand death, but too filled with the world to be completely ignorant, that she would never be that weak. She would never give a man her heart or depend on a man. Never.

Kikyou stood up from her seat, too much time had been wasted, she had to find Riku before she drove herself crazy. Kikyou walked toward the gate that Riku had went through, then started to run once she was more then half of the way there.

Something in her heart desperately wanted to be close to him, just to make sure that she wasn't dreaming.

In front of her, the gate was opening. Kikyou tried to stop herself from running into the person who was coming through the door, but her efforts had little effect. Instead she fell forward and reached out her arms to steady herself, knowing that she would fall no matter what. The cold, hard ground rushed to meet her.

Kikyou closed her eyes against the pain that was soon to come. A gloved hand reached out and grabbed her pale left arm, pulling her into a embrace and keeping her from falling.

Kikyou opened her eyes, clinging on to the person that had kept her from falling and stared at the door in back of her and the man she was clinging to through his long hair.

Hair the same color as Riku's. Kikyou relaxed in Riku's warm, strong embrace.

'Why is it that I can't pull away from you?' Was the only sensible thought that raced through her mind. Too comfortable, it was too comfortable. As if they had been made for each other, a key that found its keyhole. Her heart felt like it was drowning and fear started to set in, if she melted in his arms what would happen to her promise?

They stayed that way in complete silence for what seemed like an eternity until Riku whispered into her ear: "I'm sorry if I worried you. I found out what I need--what we need to know."

Kikyou tilted her head up to whisper in to his ear as well, despite the chills rushing down her spine. She made no motion to break the embrace. "What did you find out?"

"If I tell you, the information could hurt you. What I have to say might hurt you."

Kikyou closed her eyes and replied. "Yet you know it means so much, in order for me to continue I have to know. I have lost everything because of what I carry with me now, you as well. Please tell me Riku."

There was another moment of silence, and then Riku sighed. The feel of his breath against her ear made Kikyou tense up suddenly, from an unknown emotion, an almost physical need that was the seeds of lust for him and from wondering what would take him so long to tell.

"I won't hurt you by lieing to you, but I don't want to really tell you the truth so it can hurt you either."

She pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. There was a faint peach blush to her cheeks, but her eyes stayed cold and bright. The lights falling on her couldn't try, even if they wanted, to illuminate her as an angel. She looked fallen, but fiercely determined. "It's a shame, you seem like such a honest man. Tell me the truth, no matter how much it hurts, I can handle it. I don't need you to completely protect me."

Riku nodded and started to explain what Merlin had told him to Kikyou.

* * *

They were now back at the table that Kikyou had sat at before The whole story took only minutes to tell, and through it all Kikyou nodded and smiled when he paused or had difficulty. Difficulty from his unwillingness to see her upset then from forgetfulness.

To Riku, her candlelit smile seemed more fake than real. But he couldn't blame her, it was comparable to telling someone they had cancer. What were you suppose to expect? Her to shout for joy?

When the tale was finished, Kikyou stood up. "There's no way I can stop what is already happening to me. But I can control it by controlling my emotions. As long as I do that I'll be able to be okay. But I doubt I'll ever be truly rid of it. Even if I go back to my own world, I'll still have to take care of it."

"Unless you think of a "unselfish and good wish.""

Kikyou smiled at Riku's attempt at humor. "That's impossible. It's getting late, we should think about this tomorrow. Right now we should-"

Just then the earth trembled under their feet, it felt like an earthquake.

'That evil energy, completely devoid of emotion...' Kikyou thought to herself and turned to Riku. She could see that even with out her powers, he sensed it too. Riku stood up and tossed the Shikon no Tama to Kikyou.

"What ever is coming our way has got to be big...Are you prepared? Because if not-"

Kikyou interrupted Riku. "And let you have all the fun. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." Kikyou notched an arrow in her bow and Riku held his sword out in front of him as the gate to the eastern plaza burst opened and an inhuman scream pierced the air.

(chapter 12-part 1-End)

* * *

**Author's Notes: **The ending seemed sort of out of place. But I couldn't think of anything else! 

I wanted to bring a new chapter to you guys and the original chapter 12 isn't ready yet. I'm thinking of not including it, it's horrible and too long right now. Oh well, it's not the end of the world. And don't worry, this isn't finished yet. Not by a long shot, I still have four or five chapters left to write before I run out of ideas. I think this story will be about 25 or more chapters long. So I hope you all have a nice pair or reading glasses or glasses of some sort.

And yes, I still can't write romance. So don't expect a Titanic the movie ending. lol

Also some of the sentences were a little unclear (on purpose of course).You all shall know why Riku thinks what Merlin said about the man's heart becoming corrupted sounded so familar soon, if you haven't already figured it out. Which you should know if you are a Kingdom Hearts fan. Oh and the conversation with the whole "whispering" thing, it came out horrible. I'm still trying to keep them both in character with out effecting the story line.

The next chapter should be sort of confusing, and the next chapter after that will be as well. And the chapter after that will have some of the other side of the R rating, but it will be brief. Thank you all for the kind reviews!

**Note:** starting from 13 onwards this story will be changed to the title: "Fairytale". Please tell anyone else you know that is reading this story. The summary shall remain the same and so shall the chapters and chapter names from the previous chapters, just the new chapters shall have the title change. Thanks for reading this.

Review please. :)


	14. Extra: Oneshot: Poison Reason

**Author's Note:** Sorry but this isn't a update. (ducks from rotten vegetables being thrown at me) I really, really wanted to update but some personal issues and my health got in the way. That and it's so hard to try to do something with the Lion King. Maybe I should have used another movie. That and I'm trying to change Kikyou's character. I now know why the creator of Inuyasha (who's name escapes me) made Kagome so damn annoying. Even if Kikyou has a excuse in this story. That doesn't leave ME with a excuse.

So I have yet another one-shot for you guys to read. In honor of your patience and the chapter before this.

Yay! I finally updated, lets all celebrate!

Now before you turn away from this and go, "I won't read this crap anymore" or "I'll wait for the actual chapter", there's somethings in this one-shot that has to do with the history surrounding the story! With the release of KH-Chain of Memories AND KH2 I've had to think long and hard about the "made up" history in this story.  
That and this is a guy/guy one-shot. One sided, guy/guy that is.

DON'T TURN AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER DAMMIT! I CAN SEE YOU REACHING FOR THE DAMN CLOSE BUTTON AND YOU BETTER NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!

Sorry for yelling, but I'm serious, this chapter has to do with the history of this story, so if you miss this one you'll be in the dark about future chapters. Okay? Got that? Good?

And before we start... Do any of you think I should change the description of Riku to match with how he looks at the end of KH-Chain of Memories? That and I will probably put a separate fan fiction up on my site that contains the early years of Riku in Kingdom Hearts and all the one-shots for this story that aren't in here and that appear in here.

Just wondering. Now please read and be patient with me. Thank you.

And sorry again about yelling at you all. :(

(Note: I already have put up another Riku/Kikyou story on my site, along with a one-shot with the same pairing as well. I'm working on putting together a collection of one-shots having to do with this story later. So if you are interested in this pairing, or want to read them, please be patient and go to my site. And yes this is a shameless advertisement in order for you to visit my profile page and website. Also, the opening lyrics are mine, so don't steel!)

Kingdom Hearts: Soul Taker

One-shot 2: Poison Reason

_Honey, they tell me you're just like poison,_

_I can't deny that they might be right._

_The vague words that you say, are they just to lead me on?_

_My poison, _

_you're my favorite flavor of poison, that's not a lie._

_Even if I survive from this dose, I'm sure to die inside._

_The deadly is always cute._

_Just a little more each time,_

_I'm running to your tune only because the notes that you string sting._

_Honey, I get shivers just when you call my name._

_My poison,_

_you're my favorite out of all of them, only you can make me feel this way._

_Even if you don't know the meaning of what I say, I do._

_And that makes it all right._

_Only the handsome can kill with such a look._

_If only you were mine, _

_such a feeling can't be bought at the back of a "store". _

_If only your label came with a warning. _

_Just look my way, Honey, and I'll die right now!_

_Drowning in your poison,_

_Dying by my cheating heart..._

_A lie that's a side effect. _

_The doctors in my head warned me,_

_but I still want another dose!_

_Honey, you're a poison that I can't deny!_

* * *

Lying here at the bottom of this volcano, at the end of these stairs, broken and besides the only woman that really understood me, I'm making my life flash before my eyes. 

Was it really such a bad life? Was it really such a bad way to die? Was it really such a bad way to live, to wrap your life around a lie?

Visions of your innocence and then tarnished gold, I still can tremble.

If only you knew before you were kidnapped, if only I had been the one to set your heart a flame. But it was her not me. Figures, the ones that die are only the side-kicks.

And you never went after men. Unless you were drunk.

I can still see it, 10 years ago, when we met. We were younger then, Pocahontas, me, and you.

In 10 years we've changed so much.

"Li! Hey Li, maybe we should ditch the park and actually DO something with our time off from training!"

Li looked up at his partner from his sitting position on the park bench, Pocahontas grinned down at him. She always seemed to have a lot of energy, even though she was almost past her teenage years and was now 28. Her face seemed immortal, as beautiful at 28 as she was at 17. Never standing still, disliking boredom, and ignoring the rules. But even she should appreciate nature. Out of the two of them she was more connected with the earth, until today.

"Would you kindly buzz off, I'm trying to get in tune with nature here!"

Pocahontas danced away from him, her long raven hair whipping around her head as she looked over her shoulder and gave him a sad, mocking, smile. "What's the point, this isn't real nature. This is all fake. This park, us, everything, we're probably not even here. We might not even be real anymore."  
"Don't say things like that..." He looked down at the ground and leaned forward to inspect a beetle next to his right shoe. "Maybe it's not real, maybe we really are dead, but we must make the most of the afterlife..."

Pocahontas looked down at him and then back up at the abnormally sunny sky. "If this is the life after death, I now know why no one wants to die. I hate being a fake person. I hate being a heartless..."

Li snapped his head back up and glared at her. "We're NOT heartless we-"

"We fight the heartless, but if we're part of the heartless because our hearts have been stolen then we are fighting ourselves! The heartless!" Pocahontas yelled back at him. Several people stopped to look at them and then continued on their way, already disinterested, just like they were always disinterested in everything. Even living.

Maybe Pocahontas was right, maybe that's why she tried to be so energetic. But the truth hurt too much to give in to her.

"Maybe you're right and in a few months we can officially fight ourselves. Look, I'm going to stay here a little longer, you're free to go..."

"Li I-"

Li stood up and quickly walked away, it wasn't worth sticking around to here her say a half-hearted apology even if she was right. Which she was.

Apologies, apologies, apologies! Like they could ever solve anything! No matter how much he said he was sorry, not matter how much he wished, no begged, for the clock to turn back so he could have another chance, things would continue to be this way. He would continue to live with a woman who blamed him for the destruction of their world. She would never forgive him for a plan that didn't work, not like hers was any better. Even if they had tried things her way they still would have lost. It was a hopeless battle from the start, Mulan knew it, he knew it, everyone knew it.

But blaming others is always better than admitting that you're wrong or at your wits end. The bonds that held them together were breaking, and there wasn't a damn thing either of them could do about it. Since the "incident" both of them had been living with strangers. Feeling like they are seeing each other for the first time.

'Maybe we're just too different, or maybe love can't exist for heartless...'

It was a depressing thought, but truth still rang within it. How could the dead love?

Li didn't quite know where he was walking. He turned to the right and walked through the shrubbery in his path. Before he looked up, he already knew where he was.

The well, the wishing well where he had been many times before. Never climbed down it, just threw a couple of coins in. The spot was surrounded by trees, far from the crowd, and quite peaceful. Just what he needed right about now.

He needed to find out what was worth living for. What was worth fighting for and continuing in such times.

With a heavy sigh, Li stepped over one last bush and entered the sunny clearing, lifting his head slowly he suddenly stopped in his tracks at the sight before his eyes, even going so far as to quickly intake his breath in a small hiss.

The sight was truly breath taking.

The boy, no the correct term would be young man since he appeared to be a teenager (maybe a few years younger shy of 20), before him was laying sprawled out on his stomach in front of the well. He was either asleep, or dead, but none of these conditions seemed to surpass his beauty. There was a half smile on his face, the youths platinum hair, which seemed to sparkle and grow even lighter in the sunlight, was slightly messy and his unusual violet and yellow clothes were ripped, but these flaws only enhanced his features.

luckily, his eyes were closed in sleep, the way that Li was staring at him was far from polite and far, far away from curiosity or amazement. The feelings that stirred within the man were also far, far, way far, from innocent too.

Startled to feel this way about a "kid" and to even see and start to feel his body reacting like this, Li mentally shook himself away from the boy and looked about him. Where could he have came from? He certainly wasn't a resident of Kingdom Hearts. The aura around the people that populated this place was faint, depressed, dark. But this person, this persons aura was light, slightly innocent, and with just a hint of growing darkness that could someday destroy him if he wasn't careful.

Even though his Reaper instincts told him to step forward, wake him, and start asking questions on who or what this person was, Li, not wanting to take the chance of doing something indecent, turned his back to run for it and get help. For himself and the boy behind him.

A small sound stopped him in his tracks. It was a groan. Apparently he was waking up.

Li couldn't stop himself from turning around, nor could he stop himself from walking toward the sleeping beauty.

Another groan, five more steps, and then a test of will. What would he do when he reached him? Thoughts of several possible endings flashed through his head, none of them good. All of then ending in some form of seduction and adultery.

Was he really this evil? Was it him or...the heartless in him?

The sleeping youth turned over on his back, Li's shadow fell across him, blocking out the sunlight but not erasing his youthful beauty. The boy at his feet had his mouth slightly parted, mumbling something that Li couldn't seem to hear. One of his hands, encased in black leather, brushed the tips of Li's boots, was he having a nightmare or a good dream?

The more important question though was: What was he going to do?

Before Li could stop himself he was already kneeling besides him, trying to shake him awake. His will gave out and he pulled him into his arms instead so now the sleeping kid was in his lap. Before he could do anything else he awoke.

The Sea, those were the colors of his eyes. An eerie combination of blue and green that reminded Li of a gentle but fierce ocean that drowned everything in it's wake. Drowning, what a perfect description of what he was feeling now. Even only half open, those eyes seemed to stop him in his tracks and make him feel guilty for what he was thinking and doing.

"...Sora?..." So he wasn't as young as Li previously thought, his voice was slightly deep, a young man's voice. Still young, but no longer a child. The young man was still half asleep though, his eyes were too far away for him to be awake.

Sallowing a lump in his throat, Li answered his question. "...No. I'm not-"

"I see..." The young man's voice turned from a questioning tone to one of deep sadness. "Of course not, I was left behind again..."

With another groan the young man attempted to get up, still too drowsy to use his own strength, he reached up and gripped Li's shoulders, accidentally pulling their faces closer. Before he knew what he was doing, and before the young man could notice anything odd about his saviors body, Li let his arms encircle the young mans waist.

Their eyes met again. Li's deep and intense, filled with a emotion that the young man couldn't understand. While the young man's eyes were confused, saddened, tired, and slightly fearful.

Their foreheads touched, both of their lips were slightly parted and brushing the others, both of their hands tightened their grip on the other. Thoughts unclear and actions running on instinct, adrenaline and body heat running the show.

Before anything could get too intense, soft footsteps stopped both of them from moving further.

"Li? What, who is this person?" Pocahontas's voice rang across the clearing, all she could see was Li's back and strands of platinum blond hair around and over Li's shoulders. Almost instantly the two pulled away, both of them breathing deeply from their moment interrupted. Li looked away from the young man, who was now off of his lap and sitting before him. Li waited a full two minutes, then stood up to answer Pocahontas

She was leaning against a tree, the same tree that Li had passed, her face was full of confusion and fear from the strange energy in the air. Li seemed to be a completely different person to her, then the air changed and Pocahontas attempted to smile but failed.

"What's going on?" That smile, turned into a grimace as she saw that he didn't have an answer.

Sallowing another lump in his throat, then running a hand through his loose hair, Li made up a half-lie. "Seems we have a missing persons case. We should go back to the station."

* * *

At the station, more questions then answers appeared. 

Was this boy telling the truth? Could Ansem and the heartless really be defeated? They were defeated?

Did that mean that everything would go back to normal? If so how come they weren't all back in their worlds. How come he was here then?

Could this boy, Riku, be telling lies?

"I'm not sure if I can explain it all. You just have to believe me on this one. If I had all the answers to everything, I would tell you. I just can't explain it." Riku's tired and frustrated voice seemed to silence Frollo's angry glares. Frollo, the old bastard, already didn't like the kid. Through Pocahontas, who managed to see half of what Li saw, and Li, who had managed to almost do the unthinkable with Riku, seemed to like him.

And both seemed to believe him. He was just too different to not believe. That and his tale had several facts in it that were hard to deny.

"But none of this explains why we're still here!" Frollo shouted angrily and loud enough for the rest of the officers outside of his office to hear. Pounding his fists on his desk, then waving a accusing, arthritis, withered finger in Riku's face he continued. "If you're telling the truth then we should all be magically back home."

Riku stood up, slamming his hands on Frollo's desk and leaning forward to get in his face. "I already told you, you old bastard, I-DON'T-KNOW! I don't know why we're both not back home in our beds. All I know, I've already told you."

Li looked in shocked amazement at Riku, he didn't know he could get that angry. Looks can be deceiving after all. But his anger didn't change his opinion about him.

In fact, him shouting at his enraged boss just made him all the more desirable.

Pocahontas, who had said nothing since they arrived, now spoke up. "Maybe it's because this Sora closed and locked the door to Kingdom Hearts, maybe that's why we're not home. It would make sense after all, no one else ha s come from the other worlds since this boy has arrived and the darkness around Kingdom Hearts has seemed to lighten slightly."

Riku sat back down, Frollo stopped shouting, and for once Li looked at something other than Riku, Pocahontas's words had once again cut through to the truth. They were here because the price for the rest of the universe to be happy was their misery.

Riku looked down at his hands before he spoke. "Now what?"

Frollo sat down and laced his hands underneath his chin. "That's for you to decide. You'll have to accept this like the rest of us have. This world, our world, must never know what has taken place in this room. I'll alert King Mickey if he's still around that-"

Riku stood back up, his face a mixture of hope and surprise. "The King's still alive!?"

Frollo looked up at him, a wiry and astonishingly mean grin coming to his face. "Yes, how else do you think this city started. The King gathered us together and told us to build. And slowly, this city was built. The King also started this, the Reapers, a agency that's sole task is to control crime and get rid of the heartless. Along with some other useful items and weapons, laws and codes of conduct. Then he left."  
Riku's hope vanished in an instant, displaced with despair. "Left?"

"Yes, "left". Some think that he might still be around, but his last words: "I'm leaving for the light" seems to point that he got his ass out of dodge before the doors could close and left us behind like so much trash that was only useful for a time. So now we have a pathetic do-gooder mayor and a bunch of desperate whelps for people. It might have been better for you boy if you had died."

Riku said nothing after Frollo's cruel speech had ended. The light had seemed to be extinguished from him. He no longer had any fight left in him at all. Frollo's words, no matter how cruel, were correct.

Li glanced at Riku, wanting to comfort him but knowing that another moment like the one in the park might happen. Instead he spoke to Frollo. "What should we do about him?"

Frollo turned toward Li. "You found him, so you take care of him. He's your problem now. The boy's underage, so he can't live alone. That and we don't have enough man power to go out and search the city for a family that will take him in. And he simply can't stay here. So he's your responsibility Li."

Dread filled Li, if they shared the same roof... NO, he must not let that happen!

Pocahontas, sensing his reluctant feelings, decided to help him. "I'll take care of him, I'm better with children. That is, if it's alright with you Li."

Li smiled weakly. It was more than alright, it was great. "Yes, that's fine with me."

Pocahontas also smiled and then turned to Frollo to start discussing the the details. Li glanced at Riku to see him staring at him. Riku seemed a little disappointed, yet relieved that he was going to be taken care of. The words he had said in the park, the words "I've been left behind again", rang throughout Li's head.

'Poor kid, it must be tough. I know what it feels like to be left alone, to be with strangers that you don't know if you can trust and just happy to not be alone, regardless of whether their trust worthy or not. Hopefully, nothing else will happen to you. I'll make sure you won't be hurt again. Even if I have to harm myself in order to see for your welfare. This feeling I have for you must be stopped...'

"Li? Did you hear what I said? Let' s go!"  
Li looked up to see both Pocahontas and Riku at the door to Frollo's office. Riku was still staring at him, but this time he was holding Pocahontas's hand. Pocahontas's was waving a hand in front of Li's face. Li slapped her hand away and glared at her. More angry at himself for staring off into space then for Pocahontas's actions.

The trio left the station, Li on Riku's right, and Pocahontas's on Riku's left and holding his hand. Which, as Li looked at the two of them, made him slightly jealous.

Neither of the two seemed to notice his jealousy as Pocahontas cheerfully explained who they were. "I'm Pocahontas, but you can call me mommy if you want to. I've always wanted a cute kid like you anyway. And this jerk who found you is Li." Pocahontas winked at him as she explained this.

Riku scowled and let go of her hand. "I am NOT a kid. And I refuse to call you "mommy"!"

Pocahontas pinched one of his cheeks. "Awww, Li look, he's so cute when he's angry!"

Riku slapped her hand away, a blush spreading across his cheeks. This was very embarrassing for him, but it took his mind off of the unhappiness that had managed to bring them together.

"Yes, I have to agree with you on that point, "mommy"."

"I didn't' tell YOU to call me mommy you jerk!"

All three of them laughed at that. Laughing, even though inside it hurt to be here. Laughing because the three of them wouldn't be alone anymore. Laughing because there might not be a tomorrow.

Laughing just to live by dying all the while.

* * *

Over the years, as Riku stayed with Pocahontas who "adopted" Riku, Li and Pocahontas became closer. More closer then before Riku was here. Riku seemed to act as a kind of glue or magnet. People were attracted to his flamboyant personality, rough ways, and handsome good looks. Only Li and Pocahontas knew the darkness that lurked beneath the surface and his true history. And because of that the three of them became inseparable. 

So it became no surprise when after Riku graduated from High School he decided to become a Reaper. It was only a matter of time really. Riku had a deep hatred of the heartless, a hatred that was almost a obsession.

But even that hatred couldn't destroy everything good about him, everything that Li loved about him.

Yes love, over the years as he had watched Riku grow up, his feelings for Riku had grown into something more than friendship or brotherly love. After all they weren't really a "family" anyway. Try as Pocahontas could, she couldn't dilute his feelings for Riku.

Pocahontas was probably the only one that suspected something. Riku on the other hand didn't. Any hints, odd behavior, or the fact that Li was constantly around him, didn't seem to make Riku suspicious. In fact he enjoyed the attention. More than anything, even the heartless, Riku hated being alone. They had all learned early on that Riku's one fear, the one thing he was paranoid about, was being left alone.

In the beginning, this fear that grew because of his experiences with Ansem, had grew to almost become unbearable. Just leaving him alone in a darkened room for over five minutes would reduce him to hysterics. It became so bad that Pocahontas had to take him everywhere with him. She grinned and bared it, knowing that she had the same fear, just in a different form.

But with help, a little guidance, and love he grew out of it. Not completely over the fear, but enough so it wouldn't control his life.

But he still wanted someone to be their when he woke up. That was the only thing he demanded.

So it was a actual surprise when he graduated from the academy (three years earlier than normal and with honers) and wanted to have his own apartment.

The news was presented with shocked silence, Pocahontas and Li stared at each other and then at Riku.

Riku, still in his black cap and gown from the graduation, sat against the open window ledge and fingered his black gloves which were laying in a pile on his lap. Another condition of his was that he didn't want to stop wearing the clothes they had found him in. Through he was occasionally forced to wear something else, especially when alterations had to be made in order for him to continue wearing the outfit. Riku had grown, he was now the age Li himself had been when he found him. Taller, with a deeper, richer yet still slightly light voice, and longer hair; he was still able to take Li's breath away. His beauty had grown up with him, so had that aura which had singled him out from the rest for all time.

Riku turned to look outside the window, it was still sunny outside, but there were clouds gathering in the west a sure sign that it was going to rain soon. With out turning back toward them, he spoke.  
"You two do understand that this is what I really want. I want to see for myself if I can truly move on. It's starting to... It's starting to become a problem."

Pocahontas looked at him in alarm. "What is? What has become a problem."

Riku turned back toward her and glared at the both of them, his eyes turning a angry shade of green that only seemed to happen when he was upset. "This, this life! Don't you see," He turned away from them, ashamed to be angry at the only people that truly cared for him now. In a much smaller voice he continued. "Don't you see I'm starting to think of the two of you as Sora and Kairi now?"

Sora and Kairi, over the years Riku had told them bits and pieces about his previous life. A life which he was determined to get over, but just couldn't seem to.

Li stood up, walked over to Riku and pulled him into a awkward embrace that reminded him of when he first met him, except this time Riku reached his shoulders. The old feelings, ones that he couldn't just seem to bury came over him for a minute and then were pushed aside.

Why couldn't he ever seem to get rid of that evil part in him. Some part of Li, some very persistent part just wanted to taint Riku, and one of these days he might not be able to help himself.

Finally, Li said: "We're not Sora and Kairi, the same thing won't happen again. But if this is what you want, if you're sure about this, we'll help you find a place of your own."

Riku nodded, not wanting to speak because he was close to tears. He didn't want to be weak any more, but sometimes he just couldn't help himself.

Pocahontas, relieved that Li just wanted to help Riku, nodded her head and cried silently. Thinking all the while that this must be what a mother feels when one of her children leaves the nest. A pleasant, frighting, yet relieved feeling.  
Riku wasn't really leaving them after all, he was just growing up.

They had managed to find him a cheap, yet nice, apartment. One bedroom, one bath, with a small living room and kitchen. Two windows and gray carpet, as well as a small unusual and unusable fireplace, but it was still nice. With a touch of paint it could be turned into something homey and comfortable.

"Li, where does this box go?"

"How should I know, it's your home, put it wherever you like."  
"A apartment is hardly a home... Hey, watch where you're putting that box! You almost broke your graduation gift, that crystal dish cost a fortune!"

"I would have rather liked a tv, but at least the dish is better than your graduation gift."

The apartment was also quite close to the park. The same park where Li, Riku, and Pocahontas had met. Riku, like Li, liked to go there to think. Luckily, he had no memories of what had conspired between them when they first met.

Li wondered if those memories would ever come back and why they disappeared in the first place. Maybe Riku's mind locked them away, just like his mind seemed to have locked away the details of the time when he was possessed by Ansem.

Maybe that was all for the greater good. But they would have to eventually come back. Hopefully not now though, not when everything was going smoothly. Hopefully not ever if Li could have his way.

Pocahontas and Li had changed too. Pocahontas, even though she tried (and failed) to hide if from Riku, had had several lovers. Love to her seemed more of a need than a want. Something to be picked up, eaten, then tossed away.

Li's marriage was on the rocks, but that wasn't new. Now Mulan complained about him never being home and was arguing with him again about him helping to destroy their world because of his bad plan of action. Because of that, Li had taken a lover.

A male lover to be exact, not because of Mulan, but in an attempt to forget about Riku. An attempt that failed by the way. But still, he tried. It was better than giving in to this poisonous feeling.

Riku emerged from his bedroom and headed outside and to the moving van for another box. The day before they had managed to buy all new furniture and had moved it into the apartment ahead of time. They would all be living on canned foods for awhile because of this, but it was worth it.

Pocahontas, who was taking out the kitchen utensils, smiled at Li over the breakfast bar that separated the living room from the kitchen and created a small door way like space to the dinning room. "Isn't this great. He's finally over his fear."

"Maybe, or maybe he's just trying to get over it. I told him to call either of us if anything happened during the night. But maybe one of us should stay here with him overnight..."

Pocahontas frowned, a suspicious glint coming into her eyes. "You know he wouldn't like that, he thinks we baby him enough already. What we need to be now is his friends and give him the space he deserves. How can he ever get better if we don't give him a chance. And besides, you know it wouldn't be good for either of us."  
But what she really meant by the last sentence is that it wouldn't be good for Li. She was right, like always, yet some part of him wanted to resist the truth. Say that you were never completely over anything. Just like he would never completely be over Riku.

Riku returned, for the move they had all decided to wear their most tattered clothes. So this time instead of his usual yellow and purple outfit, Riku was wearing a torn and faded out pair of stone washed blue jeans that were a little too tight for him and a slightly ripped at the bottom white tee-shirt. With his hair pulled back in a pony tail, and sweat making his clothes cling to him more Li found difficulty in keeping his eyes off him.

With the cardboard box marked, "personal" and his usual cocky grin Riku burst through the door and grinned at the both of them. "Talking about me already?"

Pocahontas blushed with embarrassment. "Not at all. We were just saying how nice it will be for me to not have to be woken up in the morning by your loud music or have to clean up after you now that you're a man."

Riku dropped the box on the couch and walked up to Pocahontas, kissing her cheek he taunted. "Wow, mommy, I didn't know you wanted to get rid of me that bad."  
Pocahontas lightly punched Riku's shoulder, muttering under her breath that sometimes he could be a real pain in the ass.

Wicked, mean, cruel, nice, loving, goofy, she loved all sides of him and he knew it.

Riku turned toward Li and leaned against and over the breakfast bar. "If it hadn't been for you I probably wouldn't have been able to get this place. If there's anything I can do to repay you, and Pocahontas, just tell me. Anything, anything at all."

Li cringed inside from his words. Why did he have to be so trusting sometimes. He knew enough about the outside world to know that you don't say "anything" to anyone when you wanted to repay a debt. What made him so different from any of the other men on the street in his eyes. Li wasn't completely oblivious to the looks and stares that men and woman gave Riku when they walked on the street. Many a eye had been filled with the same hidden desire inside him. Couldn't Riku see it?  
Or maybe he didn't wish to see it. Or maybe he wasn't seeing it at all.

'Yeah, there's something you can do,' A strange, and evil, inner voice within Li whispered. 'You can get Pocahontas to leave take off everything and you and me and continue what happened years ago by the well. I'll make sure you enjoy it, Riku.'

Riku, not knowing anything at all was wrong with Li, and Pocahontas, who was merrily making a peach cobbler to go with the store brought sandwiches they bought, was smiling. Neither of them noticing Li's inner torment.

"I...I think I'll go see if the waters turned on yet, yes I'll just step into the bathroom and see if it works."

For the first time, Riku frowned. "You could just-"

Li, with a shaky hand, shut the bathroom door behind him before he could hear more. Determined to never let Riku see that side of him.

And determined to get rid of the visions of what could be but shouldn't be.

No call during the first or second night. A week, then two passed, and Riku seemed to be okay living alone. He had finally done what a few years earlier would have been impossible. Pocahontas and Li occasionally asked him about him living alone and he told them that everything was normal. Too many housewarming gifts from the woman in the apartment complex. Even one from a 86 year old grandmother! The halls were a little dark at night and the washing machines seemed to eat his socks, but besides that everything was normal.

The three of them made a new world record, they were all now officially working together. But only because Li bothered and even blackmailed Frollo (there were numerous charges of sexual harassment and weeks of photographs of him doing less than decent things with the new female recruits)in order to get them all working together.

Pocahontas was against it, she knew this wouldn't help with his own obsession. But Li didn't care. They would stay together no matter what, he would see to that.

And again, Riku seemed oblivious to all the signs. Not knowing or not caring to know. He had his own problems to deal with. Subtle changes were happening around him. The innocence that had previously hung about him was slowly melting away, his mood and personality was turning harsher, and he wore a mysterious and strange, long, black trench coat over his clothing now. That and he declined the stations usual free weapons and choose a weapon that had came with him which he had boxed away years ago. A sword fashioned in a shape of a wing with a frighting eye set into it.

But still, to Li and Pocahontas he was still the same old Riku. A little rougher around the edges and more quick to anger, but still the same. Even his harsh treatment toward criminals and his almost sadistic glee at catching and killing heartless didn't tarnish their love for him.

No matter what he did, they supported him. And Li's strange love didn't waver even when the features he had loved best about Riku were disappearing.

From bright innocence to darkness, those feelings of his would probably never die and would probably never be brought to life.

The only thing Li didn't support was Riku's love life. He was following in the footsteps of the woman he had been raised by. Pocahontas was also upset by it, but not as much as Li. To her she saw it as a gaining of experience and was just happy that he was in to woman and turning away from Li.

Li, who tried not to be harsh or too upset, just wanted this strange feeling of jealousy and betrayal to go away. So he tried to persuade Riku to look for someone more...stable. Someone that wouldn't be just a one night stand.

Riku's response:

"Are you kidding? I could die any day now, I would rather have a woman that wouldn't miss me at all then a woman that would any day. Don't worry about my love life, you have your own problems, remember?"

How right he was, Riku already knew about his and Pocahontas's problems. Which made it all the more harder to tell him which path to take. They could do nothing but watch as Riku continued down this destructive road. But destructive or not, it was his road to take. No matter how attached he was to him, he had to let him go. This corruptive, poisonous love couldn't continue. It would hurt Riku even more then it would hurt him.

So, with a feeling of despair and anguish, Li let it continue and tried to even patch up his marriage and devote more time to his lover. Both of which almost worked, if only Li's heart had been in it. But his heart was already stolen by a platinum haired man with dangerous sea-green eyes and a desirable body.

A body which continued to haunt his dreams and conscience. But on the surface everything was normal.

* * *

Everything was normal until a year later. On a very stormy night that seemed to hint at what was going to take place. Mulan, who devoted most of her time to several charities, was away on a trip to help the homeless in another world inside Kingdom Hearts. Leaving Li alone and with several microwavable dishes. Their small, cozy tradition house, complete with family shrine and yard, was strangely quiet and dark. The only sounds was the booming of thunder and Li's groans as he attempted to wake up from another nightmare. 

A nightmare about that day, the day that lit the spark which started the blaze of his obsession with Riku. Instead in this dream it was night, Riku had suddenly turned older, and it wasn't the good "they both wanted it" ending. This one was forced, bloody, and ending with Riku screaming at him in outrage, horror, fear, and hatred.  
All three of which he never wanted, that would kill him, to be hated by Riku would be the worse possible event in his world.

A knock on the door, followed by a ring of the door bell, awoke him from his nightmare. Li sat up straight in bed and wiped the sweat and tears off of his face. His sheets were sticky with something other than sweat to his disgust, but that would have to wait. Turning toward the clock he could see it was past midnight and close to morning. Who, in this storm and at this time of night, would possibly be at his door. Maybe it was Pocahontas telling him that something big had come up and they were needed at the station right away. It was possible, it had happened once before and they seemed to be always on duty.

Li rose, went to the bathroom to splash his face, in water, put on a bathrobe then left the room to go answer the door as the impatient person continued to ring his door bell.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Stop it with the bell!" Li shouted out as he reached the living room. The ringing stopped and Li unlocked the door and opened it.

It wasn't who he expected it would be.

Illuminated by the Lightning behind him, Riku stood dripping wet and looking like something the cat dragged in. His hair hung limply in his face and he seemed to be swaying on his feet. His usual black coat was unbutton and revealed his crumpled usual clothing. He leaned forward, either about to pass out or bow. Apparently it was to pass out, Li caught him and a familiar smell of liquor and rain water filled his nostrils. What exactly had Riku been doing.

Li dragged him inside and shut the door while holding Riku with one arm around his waist. Riku was slightly taller than him but more thinner than him as well so his arm seemed to fit perfectly. A little too perfectly in his opinion.

After the door was closed it began to rain harder. Riku laughed, a drunken and slightly unpleasant sound, then pulled away from Li. He looked at Li, a cloudy look in his eyes, then laughed again and walked across the room to sit down on the couch and rest his head on the coffee table.

Li looked at the mess that Riku had made, mud and water over everything. Mulan wouldn't be happy when she came back and found her prized table cloth ruined, but right now that didn't seem to matter.  
"Riku you're-"

"I know, I know, I'm drunk! Hello to you Capitan." Besides Riku's slightly slurred "captain" he seemed almost okay.

Almost anyway.

Li looked around him, at the darkened room illuminated by the storm. This was growing into a situation that might lead... Might lead somewhere dangerous! Li turned to turn on a lamp.

Riku, with his head face down on the coffee table muttered loud enough for him to hear: "Leave it, I like the darkness. The light hurts my head anyway."

How had that happy young man from years ago turned into this unhappy and disturbed individual?

Li looked at Riku nervously. "You need some light. Besides, I should probably call a taxi for you to get home in. How did you manage to get here anyway."

"I walked, the clubs don't seem to have much woman in them when it rains. I wonder why..."

Li turned back toward the lamp, determined to end this unpleasant moment. A damp gloved hand covered his, a surprisingly heavy weight leaned against him and a voice whispered in his ear. "I told you, I like the darkness."

Li looked over his shoulder at Riku, he was leaning over him with one hand on his hand and the other on his arm to steady himself. How had Riku become so fast all of a sudden.

Li swallowed nervously, a habit that he had suddenly acquired. "Riku-"

"Shsss, silence matches perfectly with darkness. Don't say anything."

Riku's hands were moving one up his arm and the other toward the knot holding his robe together, before he could get lost in Riku's touch Li jerked away and faced Riku.

"Riku, you're drunk, you don't know what you're doing."

Riku's eyes flashed, he was growing angry and the only thing that Li could see clearly in the darkness was his glowing green eyes. "YOU don't know what you're doing. Isn't this what you wanted? Me?"

Li's heart skipped a beat. He had thought he had forgotten about that time, that time that had not only haunted Li but Riku too.

Seeing the surprise on his face, Riku laughed again. A laugh closer to Ansem's then his own. "You think I didn't notice? All those times you were around me, all those looks of desire and lust. All those hugs. I remember, Captain," The word captain was more spit out than said. Riku leaned in closer, making Li back up toward the wall till the both of them were leaning against it. ",that day. We were like this weren't we?"

Riku reached up and held Li's shoulders tightly. Li cried out in pain, was he trying to break his shoulder blades?

"And you had your hands around my waist... Yes I remember. And we were almost kissing, and your body was responding... I remember. I remember dammit so don't turn away now!"

Before Riku could kiss Li, Li turned his head away. "This isn't what I want...this isn't how I want it..."

"So you want to be on top?"

"No!" Li shouted out as he felt the pressure of Riku's lips on his throat, how had he learned all this? From all those one night stands? Now he was the one doing the seducing.

Riku mumbled between kisses. "Your words say no but your body says yes."

Li wanted to yell at him, push him away before it was too late, but his instincts were just too strong and he moaned instead, feeling Riku's hands slip into his robe instead.

"Not like this, not here..." Li hadn't even known that he had said the words out loud. Riku pulled away and pulled the both of them toward the bedroom that Li and Mulan shared.

'Isn't this what you wanted?' Li thought to himself. 'Yes, this is what I wanted. But now I'm not so sure.'

Riku pushed him harshly onto the bed and then took off his coat and shirt with tantalizing slowness. If only he didn't have all those buckles. Li reached forward to help him, Riku let him.

Raising his eyebrows and laughing cruelly, Riku said to him: "Eager aren't you?"

While Li was absorbed in Riku's clothes Riku took off his gloves with his teeth and entwined his hands in Li's hair and continued to talk. "That day, at the station..."

In between pants and moans at just touching his skin Li replied. "What about it?"

"You didn't take me in because this would have happened sooner. It was written all over your face. You were so relieved that Pocahontas decided to take care of me instead. Yet part of you wished she had just shut up, it's there, I can feel it, in your own darkness. We're both giving in to it, aren't we?"

"Riku..."

"Do you want this or not? Don't say anything, just take this agonizing pain away for awhile. Please..."  
At the begging tone in Riku's voice, Li looked up to see Riku crying. His tears feel on his face as he reached up to wipe them away and cradle his head in his hands.

'When do we get to cry? When do the damned get to cry?'

"I...I can't stand being alone. Or feeling incomplete. That's why...If only for a night let me feel complete. I don't care who it is, just take away the darkness for awhile, please."

Li pulled Riku down to meet his lips. Adding to the problem instead of helping it. Adding to both their problems.  
The kiss was salty and full of more sadness than desire or lust. This really wasn't how he wanted it. But he had promised.

Promised to help Riku in anyway possible, even if he didn't remember it afterward.

Another kiss, another touch, and their bodies entwined in a forbidden and wanted pleasure.

And only the darkness knew their sin, the depth of their poison.

* * *

The storm ended, and morning came with it. Li, who had stayed up all night long after Riku had feel into a troubled and drunken sleep, had spent the rest of the night after their "mistake" listening to Riku's labored breathing. 

'What have I done?' That was the one question that plagued him. He had done the one thing he promised himself he wouldn't do. Have sex with Riku and hurt him. He had done both in one night.

And all because of liquor and a darkness that had grown and haunted him that was impossible to stop now.

Riku stirred slightly and buried his head into Li's chest. Li glanced at Riku's sleeping face. He looked so young when he was asleep, so much like when they had first found each other.

He could dream, if he wanted to, that Riku would accept him and this could continue. But in his heart he knew Riku wasn't meant for him. That this was another of his one night stands in an endless search for something to take away the darkness and make him complete. But still, Li's heart wanted him more than anything and wished that this could continue. This peaceful feeling of getting what you want.

But it couldn't, not for Riku's sake. Li pulled away with regret and resisted giving in and letting Riku continue to feed off his warmth. Riku moaned once and then turned over on his side. After moving his hand through his hair one last time, Li went to clean up and then change the sheets after cleaning up Riku and making it look like he had just passed out on the couch.

Before he did any of this though, he went to his ancestors shrine and started pray.

"It's not Riku's fault, it's my own. My own weakness and dark heart is to blame for this. Don't let it come back to haunt us, no, don't let it come back to haunt Riku. Don't let him remember any of this, don't let him even remember everything that happened when I first found him. Let the last night be buried and the memories be carried only by me. Not him, not him, not him. Not him..."

Li finished, feeling that this prayer probably won't be answered and that this was a pathetic attempt to save his already damned soul. But there was some comfort out of this and that got him through the rest of the morning.

Riku woke up, on the couch as planned. Li sat far away from him, on the other couch closer to the door than the bedroom. After a nervous silence, Li looked away from Riku's enchanting eyes and at the window by the door.

"How are you feeling?"

Riku groaned, used his left arm only to push him into a sitting position, and cradled his head in his hands. "Sore, and like something just ran over my head. What the hell happened last night?"

Li looked away again, what indeed had happened? "You came here drunk and passed out on the couch. That's all."

Riku looked up at him, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. "That's all? You sure I didn't tear up any furniture or break something. You look really upset. That and my whole body feels numb, like I had had a rough night in bed or something."

Riku scratched his head and attempted to look back into his memories. Li interrupted this process by standing up and saying enthusiastically.

"Well you did bump into a couple of things, broke one hell of an ugly wedding present too!"

Riku attempted to laugh and then stopped, hissing he cradled his head with one hand. "Some night I had, could you close the blinds, and do you have any Chinese remedy for a hangover?"  
Li smiled sadly, a wishful smile that Riku didn't see. "Sure, whatever you say."

After this was done, and while Li was handing Riku a small glass of a mysterious potion to heal his aching head, Riku grabbed Li's arm. Li's eyes widened and he didn't manage to say anything as Riku took the glass out of hand, drowned it in one minute, with a slight scowl from it's horrible flavor, all the while holding on to his arm. Finally Riku looked up at him. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't' mean to be such a burden on you. I don't know what I was thinking last night. Please forgive me."

Please, that one word was one word Li hoped never to hear from him or anyone else ever again. "It's alright," Li said as Riku let go of his arm. "The nights over and we can look toward tomorrow."

Look toward tomorrow, not to yesterday, and pray that the sins of the night won't come to haunt either of them.

* * *

Another year passed, and then once again an incident much like the one that had brought Riku to Kingdom Hearts happened again. But this time to a young teenage Japanese girl. 

Kikyou. A girl that was also beautiful, but in a haunting ghost like way. Much too pale, harsh, broken dark brown eyes that seemed to be filled with a adult knowledge that even she didn't understand, and dressed in plain light blue and white clothing that seemed to make her dark hair and pale skin stand out even more. She had a woman's voice, but a young girl's body.

Riku found her, saved her actually. And into the trio's life came a priestess, a jewel, Ansem, and trouble.

From the start Riku and Kikyou didn't get along. Riku was always unmercifully teasing Kikyou. And Kikyou, who wasn't use to such treatment, would always yell back. Unsure of how to act around each other, Kikyou unknowingly brought back Riku's youthful ways and seemed to dispel the darkness that hung over him when she was around him.

Pocahontas thought the world of her, but Li was unsure. Stuck between relief and jealousy.

So when they were going to Sleepy Hollow, when he found the both of them in each others arms because of the ships unstable ride, Li didn't know how to respond.

Riku, who never gained his memory back about that night, left embarrassment but acted coldly toward Li for ruining a good moment. A moment that Li was glad that he had interrupted.

Being one of Riku's one night stands, Li knew what could have happened to the girl and what will most likely happen in the future. Unless Riku could find a permanent way to get rid of his feelings of incompleteness before then.

But it was mostly jealously that made him talk to her about Riku being dangerous and tainting her. Even if Kikyou didn't understand and was angry herself that he would even think she would do something like that with a guy she hated, she still needed to be warned. It was better to try to prevent the past from being repeated.

Riku had been many things: womanizer, lover, villain, friend, it was up to her eventually to pick which one she wanted out of him and avoid the others.

But despite that he found himself liking Kikyou. And for a time, just seeing Riku and Kikyou together, with Riku happy (even if he wasn't showing it) was enough to heal Li's heart.  
But nothing lasts forever. Eventually this happiness would end.

And it did, one night when they didn't hear from Riku for hours, when he was suppose to be working on a case. They looked for him, found evidence that foul play was involved near the well and that he had been kidnapped.

Kikyou had to be told, and instead of bursting into tears as was expected, the strong willed girl decided to help them look. They agreed. Li wondering if it was too late, if he should have told Riku how he felt and what had happened instead. Then, even if Riku resented him, then he wouldn't feel so guilty and worried now.

Ansem, that's who they had found and that's where Riku was. They headed toward a volcano where a evil aura was gathering. Fought to the top, and had found that not all of them were coming back from this.

Li, more than anything, wished that he could switch places with Kikyou. But that wasn't to be. If you love someone, you'll set them free. And so him and Pocahontas had made a decision.

They would fight, they would fight even if they knew that they would die for the man that they had both came to love and let their hope for Riku's future rest in Kikyou's hands.

Kikyou looked back once at them before they were separated, she was crying and yelling something. But there was no hope in her eyes, there was no hope in any of them. They knew, they knew that they weren't going to see each other again.

Li and Pocahontas turned toward the enemy in front of them, desperately trying to go against destiny and with no hope of winning.

* * *

And now, lying here, being dragged up these back stairs toward Riku, Kikyou, and my death, I can see everything. 

All the happy times, the sad times.

And that one night and day that we had together. Even though I prayed that you would never remember, that you would only remember me as a friend, some part of me hopes that you will someday remember.

Maybe one day when Kikyou finally does what I could not. Finally chases away that darkness that you feared so much. You better not leave him, Kikyou, don't hurt him like I did either.

It's getting harder to breath.

I want the last thing I see to be that peaceful sea.

Let the reason that I continued to live die within me, drowned by the sea that I always looked to.

(fin)

* * *

Author's Note: This was suppose to be light, so sorry if it was a little too hot and heavy. But it did explain a lot, so it was well worth it. Originally, Li and Pocahontas weren't suppose to die. But unlike the creator of Inuyasha and a lot of other would be good shows and books, I believe that character death adds to the story and gives the hero's reason to continue on.  
That and forbidden love is always a good topic to work on.  
The ending part, where Li's talking about a "sea", he actually means Riku. But you probably already figured that out. 

Leave a nice review, and don't yell at me for the content of this chapter. Since after all, considering Kikyou and Riku's age difference you can't really complain since you read the other chapters. That and most anime, Inuyasha included, seem to center around a younger/older relationship with a gap between ages that's way over 2-5 years. That and this fan fiction has an R rating. What were you expecting? Censor bars?

The next chapter is guy/guy free and full of excitement and adventure. So look forward to it.


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